Happy New Year! It’s been a while since I’ve written here but I’m returning to share a conversation I’ve been having with Kristen Tsetsi, author of The Age of the Child, a novel that got me off to a thoughtful start for the year. In her novel, Tsetsi asks a provocative question: what if those of us who want to … Read More
Spine Poem: The World We Live In
Some more #spinepoetry inspired by the books on my shelf and the world we live in. #nationalpoetrymonth With thanks and apologies to Jide Zeus Bonnie Zobell, Lidia Yuknavitch, and Wells Tower.
Unruly Women Deserve a Spine Poem
A spine poem for unruly women everywhere. Adventures in #spinepoetry in honor of #nationalpoetrymonth. Thanks and apologies to Jodi Paloni, So Say We All, Julia Dixon Evans Jennifer D. Corley.
#Today’s Walk: It Begins
It begins when I know that silence will hurt me and those I love, when the comfort of my life will not insulate me from the damage that will afflict millions for years to come if I am silent. It begins with a 4 a.m. ride to the airport on Inauguration Day to catch a 6:30 a.m. flight to Baltimore. … Read More
Wild Women Walking
When I set out to write this essay, I thought I was going to write a droll list of reasons why I could never have written a book like WILD. The list would have included a story about me, a boyfriend from the city, the field behind my parents’ house which shone brightly under the full harvest moon that Labor … Read More
Monday Letters
It’s five o’clock on Monday morning and my mother sits in bed, knees up, a pad against her thighs, her second cup of coffee steaming within easy reach. Her pen flies across the page in front of her leaving behind a trail of thoughts that have been on her mind for days, minutes, or take shape as she writes. I … Read More
Fences, Fear, and Friendship Park
I live about 25 miles from the border crossing between California and Mexico and except for a ride to Rosarito Beach back in the eighties, I’ve never been there. I live about 125 miles from Los Angeles and I go there, or through there, five to ten times a year. In fact, I just returned from my most recent trip … Read More
What I Wish She Had Told Me…
I’m not a historian but I am a woman and Women’s History Month reminds me that without the help of incredible women working over many years, my personal history would read very differently. This point was driven home for me earlier this month as my husband and I watched Makers: The Women Who Make America. It was driven home even … Read More