Passing Along the Gift
Despite five years of plugging away on a new book, I still feel tongue-tied whenever…
Happy Camel
When I turned fifty I did a ten-day silent retreat at the Benedictine monastery at…
Mothering Instincts
In honor of International Women’s Day I dug back into Hannah, Delivered, my first attempt…
Relax! Relax! Relax!
At my daughter’s swim lesson a few years ago, an enthusiastic teacher stood hip-deep in…
The Sly Muse’s Guises
With some regularity I’m overtaken by timely, pretty-darn-good (I almost wrote “brilliant”) inspirations bursting with…
On Rest and Lying Fallow
Snow began at 8 a.m. and is coming down fast and furious. My thirteen-year-old languishes…
Already Mediocre!
Nine p.m., Gwyn and I drive from her second Park & Rec volleyball game through…
The New Plot
I’ve read two books recently that are knocking over some of the great pillars of…
A Peek Behind the Curtain
The writer’s life is anything but glamorous—mostly staring out the window, then crossing out what…
What’s at Stake?
After a year of drafting my first young adult novel, I ran it past my…
Strange Medicine
For years I’ve practiced strange medicine, resting my ear on the body of whatever story…
The Great Realignment
I began my work day driving two nervous middle schoolers to the teachers’ picket line to…