So often, what we need from friends, family, and the world is permission–permission to feel what we actually feel rather than what we’re supposed to feel; permission to be imperfect; permission to take […]
You Have Our Permission
Imaginary
I’m watching this tv series called River, in which the title character is a police detective in England who has this rather large problem: he sees people who aren’t there and has […]
A Matter of Life and Death
Originally posted on The Manifesto:
I’ve always wanted to be able to honestly use this phrase, to have something so important, so vital, that it truly was a matter of life and…
Letters to Colin Firth: A Book Launch
Originally posted on The Manifesto:
I wrote letters to Colin Firth because my ex-husband, the amazing writer Ira Sukrungruang, suggested I do so. I have a poem with Colin Firth’s name in…
In Praise of Frivolous Things: Christmas Lights in the Dark
Originally posted on The Manifesto:
It’s December and that means I’m listening to Christmas music, enjoying Christmas decorations and lights, walking through the Christmas displays at my favorite stores. I’m awash in…
Apologizing for Existing
Originally posted on The Manifesto:
I’ve been a little paralyzed to write since the utterly unexpected popularity of my “Depression is a Trip” post. How do you follow something that seems to…
Run Towards Each Other by Katherine Riegel
Originally posted on BREVITY's Nonfiction Blog:
Another winning entry in Brevity‘s Holiday Smile contest: It is Thanksgiving, again. My smile is a weapon cutting off access to my grief-treasure. Or perhaps my…
HOW TO SURVIVE A ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE (Just kidding! How to Survive Thanksgiving With Your Family)
Whether you’re driving or flying, don’t overschedule the amount of time you’ll spend at “home” (which won’t be home for you anymore, but it’ll be home for some of your family and […]
Depression is a Trip
You stay alive you stupid asshole Because you haven’t been excused… –Tony Hoagland, from “Suicide Song“ Depression is a wildly confusing, exhausting trip to someplace you didn’t actually ever intend to […]
10 WAYS TO PASS THE TIME ON A LONG CAR TRIP WITH YOUR PARENTS AND THREE OLDER SIBLINGS (IN THE 1970s)
Spot license plates from other states. When this gets boring (after 3 minutes), read road signs out loud, at top volume, until your dad says his patented, “The next kid who says […]
The Gloria Sirens 