ABOUT
rallenhill
I believe in the power of art to inspire, connect, and transform lives. My mission is to create stories utilizing photography and prose. I hope to either make you smile, laugh out loud, cry, or moan.
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cREATIVE STORYTELLER
Welcome. I'm Robert Allen Hill — a writer, photographer, and visual artist based in Iowa City, Iowa. This site is a place for my creative work: memoir writing, photography, art documentation, and the occasional reflection on what it means to build a life around making things.
RALLENHILL is reflections on writing, photography, and a life documented with intention.
I received a piece of advice in a Professonal Writing Course which has stayed with me, let's just say, for a good number of years, "Whereever you are be there." Obseve. Have a camera, even a Camera Phone, to capture those moments that come only once and then they are gone. Take notes.
15 Seconds later I would have missed this photo. I leave set my camera settings for where I am so I don't miss an opportunity.
People ask me why I'm writing a memoir. The honest answer is: I don't entirely know. It started as a feeling – a growing awareness that the stories I carry are worth setting down.
The first thing I'd like readers to know is the difference between a memoir and an autobiography. "A memoir focuses on specific experiences or themes in the author’s life, while an autobiography covers the author’s entire life in chronological order."
My memoir is currently titled "I Won The Lottery" and is my adoption story that started in 1947 when my folks wanted to adopt a child. When Iowa opened up the adoption files in 2022, I obtained the actual files from my birth mother and the file for my mom and dad to be united with brothers, sisters, nephews, and nieces I did know I had. I did indeed win the adoptive lottery, and a draft lottery in 1971.
Reflections on writing, photography and life
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A FEW OF MY FAVORITE PHOTOS - I DO HAVE MORE, AND THEY WILL COME LATER
