F is for Fucchi
He stood still in front of the class, quietly, as we reconvened after our coffee break. “Kichom?” I asked, turning to him. “Would you mind telling the story of Fucchi?” “Now?” he asked, his eyebrows raising, seeking clarification. “Shall I tell it now?” I nodded and moved to the side. …
E is for Esther
Every time I teach a class, I learn more from the students than I could ever possibly teach them. From some, I learn how to be a better learner, from others I get insight into what happens when learning stops and the need to perform or win starts, from some …
D is for Dorodango
D was a tough decision for me: Descartes, devil, delicious, disease, depression, dimples, design, determination, dig, depend, day, doughnut, droplet, détente, debutante, Depp. And yet, with all those choices—even above dimples and Depp and dirt—it had to be dorodango. The silt that he uses to coat the mud balls is …
C is for Compass
“The sea rises, the light fails, lovers cling to each other, and children cling to us. The moment we cease to hold each other, the moment we break faith with one another, the sea engulfs us and the light goes out.” – James Arthur Baldwin There is no greater privilege …
B is for Beach
Since it’s not quite hot enough here, we are embarking at o’dark-thirty this morning on a 26-hour trip to the coast for a family wedding on the beach this evening (my wonderful nephew’s) and a side trip for a college tour for Emma (yikes!). It will be little Tess’ first …
A is for Ankle
I was on the ground without warning, my palms bearing the brunt of the sudden fall. It surprised me, this new ground-level viewpoint; I was down in the dark, my bag having splayed its belongings around me on the rough sidewalk concrete. “Where is my Burt’s Bees pomegranate lip balm?” …
Inventory your A-Z
Intrigued by her creatures and small houses, I’m inspired by the Encyclopedia of Me that Bella Dia is creating in August, one letter at a time. Sure, I’m starting late, but perhaps a daily catalog of A-Z will jumpstart writing again, even in this fantastical heat. Perhaps "A" will be …
Surface, surface, surface
There are times in one’s life, I should think, when writing is simply out of the question. For example, working on a B-314 submarine would be one of those instances for me, the claustrophobia alone making it impossible to concentrate on anything other than the enormous pressure of water all …
Dip into archives
A new reader wrote this morning to ask about past essays. Seems they are hard to find. While there is a Google search box in the left column, that really doesn’t help if you want to read old essays at random. There are over 180 essays on this site, mainly …
