Published inThe Writing Cooperative·PinnedMember-onlyWhy Do You Write?One reason is universal: to share our stories and remember. — Why do we write? For generations, authors have offered their personal musings in answer to the question, why do I write? Joan Didion, said, “I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear.” Cormac McCarthy, was…Writers On Writing4 min readWriters On Writing4 min read
Published inThoughts And Ideas·PinnedMember-onlyGo SlowlyAdvice for Writing and Living in 2022 — It is okay to get started slowly; it is Monday, after all, and only the second of the year. It is okay if you could not sleep last night. Neither could I, nor could Pearl, whose paws clicked back and forth from the hall into our bedroom and back again…Writing Tips4 min readWriting Tips4 min read
Apr 18Forget spring cleaning in a soon-to-be empty nestIn December 2000, the back seat of my car was pristine. Untouched. I was eight months pregnant. Still me. Still incredulous that I was soon going to join the demographic “women who have given birth.” I was aware that carrying my child above my bladder and under my heart, might…Parenting Teenagers5 min readParenting Teenagers5 min read
Apr 11Dream SmallUnexpected wisdom from a midlife birthday — Many years ago, an artist’s handpainted signs at a crafts fair at the local park caught my attention. I came home with five and hung them on the wall outside my sons’ bedrooms. The first three implored: THINK BIG. FOLLOW YOUR PASSION. NEVER, EVER GIVE UP. As a fledgling writer…Birthday Wishes3 min readBirthday Wishes3 min read
Mar 27Hey, writer’s block: meet me outside.When creativity hides, look for it in unexplored places. — “Why don’t we ruminate on good things?” I ask my husband as dawn pushes through the shutters. I am awake unusually early for me, and he is in bed unusually late for him. …Writing5 min readWriting5 min read
Dec 9, 2022What if We Could Rest for a WhileAfter “In Praise of I Don’t Know” by Maya Stein My friend, the teacher and beautiful writer Dana Childers, offers poems as prompts in a weekly gathering of writers. One of her favorite poets to share is Maya Stein, and she has become one of my favorites. …Poetry On Medium2 min readPoetry On Medium2 min read
Dec 2, 2022Almost ThereDaring to shout your dreams to the world lets others dream, too. — I am posting from a different place than I normally write, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania for my uber-talented sister-in-law’s birthday. I came to the East early to spend two nights on my own in New York City. I love being alone there, walking wherever I choose, changing my mind when…Writing Community3 min readWriting Community3 min read
Nov 24, 2022In Praise of Tiny GratitudeMost days I feel like gratitude is my superpower, and I can turn away from the crap and orient myself toward reverence for all that is good — as small as a dog offering her tummy for a scratch, a piano playing a melancholy chord in the other room, or…Thanksgiving2 min readThanksgiving2 min read
Nov 11, 2022Member-onlyDid I love it enough?*No matter how we try, can we savor a moment as much as we should? — Did I love it enough? Those three quick days with our son, popping into his life for a weekend, then back out. …Adventure5 min readAdventure5 min read
Nov 4, 2022Member-onlyThis is what life is like nowA desk’s drawers give clues to who we are, and who we might become. This is what life is like now. The sound of my husband watching television migrates from the living room, through the door, and into the room where I am writing. I turn on white noise to block out the voices on the news channel. …Writing Community3 min readWriting Community3 min read
