A few years back, I worked with a student on The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. We read the final few pages together, which are some of the most touching in the entire book. Just in case you still plan to read this exceptional novel, I won’t give away the ending. But I can…
An Introvert Marries an Extrovert
I have always liked small, dark places where I could hide: closets mainly, but when I was little I didn’t mind being under the bed or in a cardboard box with the lid slightly shut. I even had a secret hiding place behind a long drawer in my bathroom when I was nine or ten,…
The Tips I Needed to Read Tonight
I found the following list in an old 2013 writing file tonight. I apologize to the author. I did not write down your name, website address, or any identifying information. I tried typing in the title “11 Tips for Creativity” and found several articles, but none contained this content. I’m so sorry. I will be…
Post-Delivery Homemade Lasagna Request
Daughter Rachael has requested that I make a couple of make-ahead dishes that she can freeze for after baby Milo is born. His due date is March 15, so I need to get cracking on this just in case the little guy (who is now weighing in at 6 lbs, 14 oz.) makes an early…
The Trickster in Stories and Life
I’ve been thinking lately about tricksters in literature since I’ve been working on a new novel. As I sketch characters and test their motives, the trickster keeps slipping onto the page. According to Christopher Vogler’s book The Writer’s Journey, a trickster “embodies the energies of mischief and desire for change.” That desire for change is…
A Poem: I Have Time
I have time to grow,to push past my fearlike a green stalk,slender and fresh,rising up and outof the soil,reaching straight towardthe Sun. And I have time to smile,and touch my hair,and dance down the stairslike a gypsy,wearing earrings anda red skirt. Down I goto findthe others waiting,with feet poisedfor joy.
The Girl on the South Porch Knew
You know how sometimes you read that if you go back to what you loved doing when you were a little kid—four, five, or six—then that will tell you what your ideal occupation should be? Well, in my case, this is exactly true, because when I was a little girl, my favorite thing in the…
Why Huck Finn Still Matters
Over the years of working with writing students, I have read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn several times. I did so because I was helping many AP high school students and a few college students write analytical essays on various aspects of the plot, characterization, controlling irony, theme, use of vernacular speech, and more. I…
Mayonnaise in the Cake? Trust Me.
The chocolate cake pictured contains a “secret ingredient” and is one I’ve returned to again and again, always producing a rich, moist cake. If you find yourself longing to bake but short on eggs and butter, here’s a surprisingly reliable alternative. That ingredient is 3/4 cup of mayonnaise, and its use in cake baking has…
A Celebration for Baby Milo
Today, we celebrated baby Milo’s impending birth with a baby shower planned and implemented by Andrew’s dad, Roger. This was an opportunity for us to get to know Roger better and to meet his brother, sister-in-law, their kids, grandkids, and other close family and friends. Roger hosted the party at the restaurant of one of…
20 Minutes a Day 