Why I Write I once took a workshop with Marge Piercy, a prolific poet and novelist who told the participants to become writers only if they could not do anything else. The […]
Why I Write
Rewilding
One of the critiques of the environmental movement has been that it’s too much gloom and doom. The facts and statistics can be so depressing that people just turn off. It’s understandable […]
Van Mom No More
My ride was not unique. It wasn’t surprising. It wasn’t fun. It was basically like me–comfortable, stable, and safe. No surprises. Reliable. Always there, waiting to be needed.
Turning into My Mother
The older I get, the more I feel my mother inhabiting my body. I’ve recently cut my hair in an attempt to gray gracefully, and when I look in the mirror, […]
Vaccinated
I’d rather place my bets on the medical community being right than thinking a wild virus that’s killed over half a million Americans is perfectly survivable.
The Insider: A Gloom of One’s Own
“The neighbors lost their white cat,” my husband said, “maybe you could keep an eye out for it.” “Sure,” I said, “if it walks by the couch, I’ll certainly alert someone.” The […]
Confessions of a Gambler
The first time I won $1,000 gambling, I was playing the Enchanted Unicorn game in a small gambling parlor attached to Benny’s, my favorite local bar. Enchanted Unicorn has images of princes, […]
Three Mindful Steps: In the Jungle of Monkey Mind
Seven a.m., I drag myself out of bed – online meditation is due to start. I have three extra minutes if Fred decides to wait for the stragglers, as he usually does. […]
On Purpose: Work, Religion, and Community
I used to be a priest in the Church of Poetry. I had 60-80 parishioners per semester, mostly young people with varying dedication to Poetry. Some entered the classroom having only worshipped […]
When You Have to Share Your Birthday Month
I never expect much fanfare on my birthday. I wasn’t raised to expect it. My parents were practical, sober, working class people, stable but not particularly affluent. Some years my mom made […]
The Gloria Sirens 