Published in The 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 in Thoughts 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
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. She may become…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. Arriving on his doorstep straight from the airport, feeling the moment it takes to reinhabit our connection, then the swoosh that wraps us up like a swaddle in…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. Digital nature sounds wash over the…Writing Community3 min readWriting Community3 min read
Oct 28, 2022Unexpected Gift of a Writing PracticeHow it helps break me of the nasty “helpful” habit. — At our Thursday morning zoom writing group, a poem is read, a timer is set, and we write without stopping. Moving the pen in this way can loosen us up and let out the juicy stuff, surprising us at times with where the subconscious may lead. Except minutes into the…Writing Life3 min readWriting Life3 min read
Oct 21, 2022These Things We LoveThe unpredictable bliss of salvaging a memory from a (sometimes) fruitless writing practice. — These sagging couches, broken with the weight of brother-wrestling, and binge-watching, stained with old chocolate and fresh dog lick. They were once pristine, even measured to fit the room, cushions of single beds, not broken up in twos or threes, representing my hope for kids’ sleepovers, now the soft landing…Writing2 min readWriting2 min read
Oct 15, 2022MendingLessons from my grandmother’s sewing kit There is a moment when you can feel the rain before you can see it. When an unconscious glance at the sidewalk reveals gathering polka dots of grey, and you are flooded with relief for this confirmation that your skin still tells the truth, and the world still operates as…Parenting3 min readParenting3 min read
