Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less. -Marie Curie
What She Said, October 5: Marie Curie
Diane Masiello
I am a writer and high school English teacher at a Catholic, all-girls private school. I began my teaching and writing career over 30 years ago, earning my Ph.D. in English Education from and first teaching at New York University. After I finished my degree work, my husband and I moved to Florida; I have taught at both Nova Southeastern University and The University of Tampa.
I left academia to raise two beautiful daughters and help care for my parents, which is when I turned to blogging to help me process my experiences. I started in 2003 with a LiveJournal entitled "Afternoons with Coffee Spoons" which I eventually translated over to Wordpress. In 2019 I was invited to join "The Gloria Sirens" blog, which gave me space to develop my voice.
Over the past few years, as I have raised teenagers and gone back to teaching, my writing has become more focused on the interplay of the Catholic faith, mystery, and storytelling. This has, in 2025, led me to return to writing exclusively for my own blog where I can more fully explore "Every Grace and Blessing" that God has bestowed upon me and those I love.
Five Steps to Escape Catastrophe Island
Here’s the thing, Mom. You’ve been living on catastrophe island. But it’s uninhabitable. It’s not conducive to life. It’s time for you to get off the island.
What She Said, September 13: Aditi Khorana
Company is sometimes the best thing we can give each other. It can be a balm for all the fear, loss, and anguish in the world. -Aditi Khorana
What She Said, September 12: Zora Neale Hurston
I have known the joy and pain of friendship. I have served and been served. I have made some good enemies for which I am not a bit sorry. I have loved unselfishly, and I have fondled hatred with the red-hot tongs of Hell. That’s living. -Zora Neale Hurston
What She Said, September 10: Terri Windling
Fairy tales were not my escape from reality as a child; rather, they were my reality–for mine was a world in which good and evil were not abstract concepts, and like fairy-tale heroines, no magic would save me unless I had the wit and courage to use it widely. –Terri Windling
What She Said, September 9: Jane Yolen
A child who can love the oddities of a fantasy book cannot possibly be xenophobic as an adult. What is a different color, a different culture, a different tongue for a child who has already mastered Elvish, respected Puddlegums, or fallen under the spell of dark-skinned Ged? –Jane Yolen
What She Said, September 8: Doris Lessing
Ideally, what should be said to every child, repeatedly, throughout his or her school life is something like this: “You are in the process of being indoctrinated. We have not yet evolved a system of education that is not a system of indoctrination….what you are being taught here is an amalgam of current prejudice and the choices of this particular culture. The slightest look at history will show how impermanent these must be….Those of you who are more robust and individual than others will be encouraged to leave and find ways of educating yourself…those that stay must remember, always, and all the time, that they are being molded and patterned to fit into the narrow and particular needs of this particular society.” -Doris Lessing
What She Said, September 7: Michelle Obama
No country can ever truly flourish if it stifles the potential of its women and deprives itself of the contributions of half of its citizens. -Michelle Obama
What She Said, August 16: Glennon Doyle
We know what the world wants from us. We know we must decide whether to stay small, quiet, and uncomplicated or allow ourselves to grow as big, loud, and complex as we were made to be. Every girl must decide whether to be true to herself or true to the world. Every girl must decide whether to settle for adoration or fight for love. –Glennon Doyle
What She Said, August 15: Helen Keller
We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world. –Helen Keller
The Gloria Sirens 