I made these date nut bars today following this basic recipe but I substituted honey for sugar, walnuts instead of oats and I left out the cinnamon. Despite all those changes, the date nut bars were delicious. This is a perfect holiday treat. Sweet and nutritious at the same time. Be sure to simmer the…

        Philippa (Flip) Mayall   Here is my friend, Flip, who has written an amazing book that is well worth your time.  She was a fellow participant in the John Rechy Master class and we workshopped her book every week for 2 years.  I know this memoir intimately and can recommend it…

I am sitting with my student, Elena, who is an old friend and the mother of several of my former students. We are writing our quick write, which is 12 minutes of pouring out on the page whatever is on our minds. In my case, this is a chance for me to purge my mind…

Here is Luna with Grandpa. Here’s another one. Yes, this is very short, but I am still recovering from only 5 hours sleep last night. So, this is my effort for tonight. I am hopeful to return to normal soon. Surely, I’ll get rested soon enough!

I hosted the holiday get-together of the John Rechy Master class tonight, buddies of mine with whom I shared the singular experience of having a true master guide us in our writing. I was John’s student for five years on a weekly basis, others worked with him much longer. All my classmates are exceptional writers….

Today has been busy. Up early for the homeless breakfast – fed around 150 people – then students for 5 hours, then back to church to serve as the thurifer (the acolyte swinging the incense) at the Vigil Mass. This evening, in contrast, has been leisurely – just adding photos on Facebook, watching HGTV and…

Today I woke up early and took my sweet niece, Leslie, and her girlfriend, Haley, to the airport to head back to Austin. Then I edited a chapter in a very fine novel of a writing student of mine. After that, I spent time on Facebook catching up with everyone’s news, and then looked over…

We are back in CA. I have had about 4 1/2 hours sleep since we went to bed around 4 and I got up for some unknown reason around 8:30. I had visitors this morning and lots of talk, then students all afternoon. At this point, I am so tired that this is about the…

We are in the middle of West Texas on Highway 289, our goal being Amarillo by midnight.  The roads are ice-free, the outside temperature cold, and the night sky filled with stars and a half moon. Ray is currently driving (obviously since I am writing), and we are entering the town of Childress.  I see…

I am sitting in the kitchen and noting the silence. The only sound is the warm air coming up through the heating vents. It is almost midnight. We have been out on the icy roads tonight visiting our friends and now we’re home again with Ray asleep on the couch in the green room. We…