poetry wednesday : among your duties, pleasure is a thing that also needs accomplishing
The Word. Down near the bottom of the crossed-out list of things you have to do today, between “green thread” and “broccoli” you find that you have penciled “sunlight.” Resting on the page, the word is as beautiful, it touches you as if you had a friend and sunlight were …
girls need to write.
(Photo by Jeremy Madea) Today is my birthday. I'm 52 years old. Do you know why that is fantastic? Because it means I am still alive! YES! LIFE FTW! I didn't start writing until I was 46 years old, not really. And I wonder how my life would have been …
my birthday gift to you.
I love you for reading the words that I string into sentences. And for responding and talking with me and teaching me. And for trusting me with your stories. And for laughing with me. And for turning my books so they face out on the shelves of bookstores. And for …
thinking thursday.
photo by Jeremy Madea, used in this adorable frame by Colleen Wainwright. [mind] I love what Colleen Wainwright is doing, raising $50,000 for a group that helps girls through writing for her 50th birthday. And I loved her interview with me in support of her goal. Can you …
the narrow space between interference and intervention.
We have all watched the dissolution of people. Some in our families or among our friends, wondering whether or when to step in, navigating the tiny space between interference and intervention. And some in the world of celebrities, watching them wax and wane inside People magazine, participating in their …
real women play the tuba
I think you know how much I love my daughters. And how much I love the fact that Emma is fully committed to playing an instrument twice her size. She has asked me over the years to ask readers to support her efforts to raise money for abused horses or …
the last puzzle piece.
My friend Nina died a year ago today. To say "I miss her" does not suffice. She was one of the funniest people I have ever known–laconic, sardonic, dry–as well as one of the wisest, and one of the most ornery. I spent that weekend with her, unknowing, fearing, and …
for what or for whom do you grieve?
This weekend is the one-year anniversary of the weekend I spent with my friend, Nina, while she died. Three nights. And a year ago, I had my hardest night this evening, as she frantically tried to tell me something, her voice gone, her ability to write gone. Just a wisp …
you’re a writer. now get to Boston and write.
(I'm unsure how to sync up my voice with my mouth in this video, so just imagine that I'm speaking in Russian on the video and that you're hearing the English translation! Also not sure why it chops off before the end. Should end with "I'd love to see you …
