A long time ago I stopped wondering why there were so many crazy people. What surprises me now is that there are so many sane ones. –Rachel Khong
What She Said, March 27: Rachel Khong
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.
What She Said, March 26: Lisa See
In our country we call this type of mother love teng ai. My son has told me that in men’s writing it is composed of two characters. The first means pain; the second means love. That is a mother’s love. –Lisa See
What She Said, March 25: Gail Tsukiyama
It is not an act of bravery to try to save your own village. It is an instinct to protect what you possess. Bravery is when you step in to help when you have nothing to lose. –Gail Tsukiyama
What She Said, March 24: Celeste Ng
Sometimes you need to scorch everything to the ground and start over. After burning the soil is richer, and new things can grow. People are like that, too. They start over. They find a way. –Celeste Ng
What She Said, March 23: Bharati Mukherjee
We do things when it is our time to do them. They do not occur to us until it is time; they cannot be resisted, once their time has come. It’s a question of time, not motive. –Bharati Mukherjee
What She Said, March 22: Kaui Hart Hemmings
Why is it so hard to articulate love yet so easy to express disappointment? –Kaui Hart Hemmings
What She Said, February 12: Joan Jett
Rock and roll by its nature is sexual. So girls playing rock and roll is saying to the world, “We own our sexuality.” I think that pop music is sort of about “You can do what you want to me” energy, while rock and roll is “I’m going to do what I want to you” kind of energy.” –Joan Jett
What She Said, February 11: Betty Buckley
The work that must be done for each woman to reconnect with her psyche and to give herself a chance to live her own life is essentially the same. The realization of the equality of all races, the equality of all beings is essential. Feminism–the word–can give us a handle, a rallying point, a common ground, and help us build a bridge. Why not claim the gift of the word as a place to begin? The pure connecting factor is that those of us who describe ourselves as feminists want equal rights for all people. . . . If we’re for one another, we’re feminists. The rest is semantics. –Betty Buckley
What She Said, February 10: Judy Garland
Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else. –Judy Garland
The Playlist
Even in my postpartum-addled state, I recognize I’m singing my baby daughter a love song. . . . Yet the words have never seemed more true.
The Gloria Sirens 