Letter from Harrisburg
Author Dorcas Smucker, a Mennonite, found a niche in liberal Eugene
Note: Dorcas Smucker is a writer whose 18-year freelance column in The Register-Guard, “Letter from Harrisburg,” made her something of a cult figure among R-G readers. Smucker, 62, is refreshingly original, that rare Mennonite who connected deeply with the paper’s left-leaning readership and who has a son who works for NASA on the Mars project. It’s been more than six years since she stopped her R-G gig, so I thought an update was in order.
Smucker grew up in the Midwest, mainly Minnesota. She and her husband Paul have been married 40 years and are parents to six children, one of whom, Steven, was adopted from Kenya. (Mars Man) Matt and his wife Phoebe are in Houston. Amy teaches English at a high school in Thailand. Emily lives in Chattanooga, Tenn., where she writes. Ben teaches engineering at Oregon State. Steven works in the family business, Wilton Smucker Warehouse, which specializes in grass seed and custom feed. And Jenny is working on a PhD in math and also teaching at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va.
Her “Letter from Harrisburg” column ran in The R-G from 2000 to 2018.
Q. What led to your becoming a columnist for The Register-Guard?
A. I had done some freelancing before I started writing for The R-G. The paper used to have a weekly “Write On” feature where anyone could submit an essay, and the features editor chose one to print each week. At age 37, I impulsively wrote about living beside Interstate 5 and the strangers who came to our house needing gas or a phone. And it was printed in the paper! I was thrilled. Ilva, a friend in Canada, had always encouraged me to write, so I sent the piece to her. She wrote to the R-G features editor, Grant Podelco, and told him he should feature this author more often. He read some more of my writing and offered me a monthly column. It was so serendipitous and random I still can hardly believe it.
Q. And you smartly funneled those columns into seven books (see list at bottom of Q&A). Who or what inspired your interest in writing in the first place?
A. I was a voracious reader from age 6, which naturally led to writing. I credit my mom with my start as a writer, because she got me started writing letters. When you’re Amish, you don’t pick up the phone and call Grandma in another state. So Mom would seat us around the dining room table with paper and pencils and have us write to “Kansas Mommi” or “Iowa Mommi” or Aunt Vina. Not being inspired was no excuse, so I also learned from her to crank out words because it needed to be done.
Q. Did you grow up in an environment where the encouragement was “you can do anything you want” or were your options limited?
A. Some of both. We could read anything we wanted, explore all over the farm and pursue a lot of crazy ideas. My sisters and I would stage elaborate plays for the rest of the family. I have no idea how little Amish girls knew about plays — maybe from reading Little Women. In contrast, we were not encouraged to get an education or to discover our giftings and use them in a career. The Amish “horror of pride” ran strong in my parents, so they weren’t into compliments and encouragement, and most certainly not in pursuing your dreams.
Q. So if the expectation wasn’t “go, do,” what was the expectation?
A. The Amish/Mennonite custom at that time was not to decide what you want and go after it but to wait until you’re asked to do something. If you’re asked or invited, that’s a sign that this is God’s will for your life, such as when I was asked to come to Oregon as a 19-year-old and teach at Lake Creek School. As a writer, it’s been hard to undo this training. That’s why The R-G column was such a gift at that time; it felt like a sign from God. Since the column ended, I’ve tried to learn how to decide what I want and pursue it. It’s a new and different mindset and skill set.
Q. What was your “I’m actually a real writer” moment?
A. I still have a bit of imposter syndrome, but when Oregon Christian Writers — now Cascade Christian Writers — asked me to teach a workshop at a conference, I decided I must be a real writer.
Q. In 2018, why did you leave The R-G?
A. The paper was sold, as we all know, and the new owners [Gatehouse Media] changed my contract in significant ways. For one thing, I couldn’t reprint my articles in a book. In addition, my kids were grown up and were seriously limiting what I was allowed to say about them. So I decided the time had come to retire.
Q. What are you doing now, in terms of writing?
A. I’ve published a few articles, blogged occasionally, posted stories on social media, coached aspiring writers and worked on a group project paper on social media that a Mennonite college sponsored. I speak at Mennonite women’s retreats about twice a year.
Q. As therapists like to ask, “Is there more?”
A. Yes. In 2024, I organized the Western Anabaptist Writing Conference with lots of help from volunteers. Over 70 people attended, and we hope to repeat it in 2026. My publishing company is called Muddy Creek Press. I’ve published five of my books, my dad’s story and two books for my daughter Emily. Mostly, though, writing has taken a backseat to caregiving, travel, family, and taking care of our house and four acres without teenagers around to help.
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