OR How I Slew the Nostalgia Dragon with Joy Sparking All Around! By Susan Lilley For at least four years, I have planned to “clean out my closet” during the summer. The […]
The Kondo Project: A Sordid Tale of Decluttering
A Fourth for Reflection
It’s the day after the USA’s most patriotic holiday, Independence Day, and given our current political climate and the fact that we’re halfway through the year, it might be a good time […]
A Quiet Passion
I saw A Quiet Passion, the 2017 movie about Emily Dickinson (directed by Terence Davies, starring Cynthia Nixon) this month. I’m not a movie critic, but I am a poet and a […]
The Growing Opioid Epidemic: How to Save a Life
It’s important to understand how pervasive and insidious opioids are. Vicodin and Oxycodone gave way to heroin. Now fentanyl, a drug up to 50 times more powerful than heroin, is the new drug of choice, and it’s filling morgues. But new laws in response to the opioid epidemic are giving people the power to save the lives of their friends and loved ones.
Why Positive Reinforcement Works
I used to joke that everything I learned about teaching, I learned from dog training. Then I’d scold my class, “Sit! Stay! Hush!” The truth is, especially since the rise of positive […]
An informal review of Matt Haig’s book _Reasons to Stay Alive_
So I finally got around to reading Matt Haig’s Reasons to Stay Alive. I follow him on Twitter, and a friend sent me a couple of quotes from him at important moments. […]
Why I Can’t Just Turn Off the News
“Tell everyone on this train I love them.” —Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche, 23 I want to turn off the news. As someone who struggles with depression and anxiety, I need to turn […]
Quick and Easy Grammar: When to Use It’s or Its, Their or There or They’re, Your or You’re—and More!
Knowing the right way to write what you mean can sometimes be tricky, but you don’t have to memorize the rules of grammar to stop making common errors. Other people make […]
Moving: A Photo Essay
Top 5 Harmful Things You Might Be Saying to an Overweight Loved One or to Yourself
As literally everyone who has seen me knows, I’m fat. My doctor knows, and, unless I have a cold, refuses to give me any medical advice other than “lose weight.” People on […]