First of all, I have to be honest: I have never written a good short poem. I won’t say I “can’t,” because you never know, but the skill it takes to say […]
How to Clean a Cauldron
I hate cleaning. No, that’s not accurate. It doesn’t occur to me to clean. There are so many other more entertaining things to do. Do I vacuum or read a book? The answer is […]
2025, Our Year of Greed and Elon Musk
What do award-winning singer Billie Eilish and established award-winning author Joyce Carol Oates have in common? Both are successful women in the twenty-first century, and both have used their platforms to criticize […]
A Note to My Grown Children on My Conversation with a Former Nanny on a Long Train Ride in England
At the end of about fifteen minutes of pleasant chatting, which turned out to be good conversation about babies and their development (and of course we chatted about my grandchildren), I said something that stopped the former nanny in her tracks. “I’ve never heard anyone say that before, ever. People always talk about how they miss their children being young. They never say _____ [what I just said].” I said, “Did I just say that? Well, I guess I did.”
Why Does Kid Rock Keep Saying Stupid Shit When I Really Want to Like Him?
To be honest, Kid Rock first came on my radar because of disinformation. A few years back, I heard the intriguing rumor that Kid Rock was the grandson of Hank Williams, Sr., […]
Romancing the Map
Recently, while playing competitive team trivia, we missed a “World Geography” question. The question was: what country comes between the Czech Republic and Slovakia? The answer was Austria, though we answered Croatia […]
What Type of Roof Are You?
When Pharrell sings about clapping if you feel like a room without a roof, I just can’t go along. Roofs are serious business, even basic asphalt shingles, not to mention the architecturally […]
Why Thinking I Might Be Autistic Helps
A few months ago, I had the opportunity to talk in person with someone I’m close to about adult-diagnosis ADHD and autism. Working with a therapist, she went through the official processes […]
A Sticky Metaphor, or Why I’m Not Going to My 45th Class Reunion
We joke around in my circles about which of us is “the glue.” In my daughter’s friend circle, Stephen says he’s the glue, but it’s probably his wife, Heather, a vivacious school […]
SOUL DOG: A Memoir of Spirit, Smarts, and Love
Soul Dog tells the story of a woman intent on proving that other animals have souls. When she falls in love with a troubled border collie, she soon finds herself in a fight to save her dog’s life. A riveting memoir about what forever means.
The Gloria Sirens 