Today, Ray received a call from our daughter Rachael. I heard his voice go low for a second, then he said, “Are you all right?” It didn’t take long to ascertain that she had been in a car accident and was calling her Dad as she cried. She was turning left at a light when…

Our orange trees up in Ojai are two weeks away from harvesting and the oranges are sweet and juicy. Here is a recipe that would highlight the deliciousness of freshly squeezed orange juice when added to the other ingredients. And, of course, nothing goes together better than orange juice, cranberries, and pecans. I love collecting…

I wrote this piece today in SCN’s Writing Extravaganza, a monthly writing group where we get a prompt and then write during the class. The prompt was to write in the voice of a 14-year-old boy. The first line had to be: “I don’t know what to do.” This is a first draft piece but…

I wrote this a while back but it still holds true. Self-doubt is one of the most challenging obstacles to overcome in writing or perhaps when attempting anything in life that is new or difficult. Hopefully, this will be helpful for any of you who are experiencing those same debilitating thoughts whether about writing or…

I wrote this story this evening in a class where we all write from a prompt for 20 minutes, then read our stories. This is a first draft but I think it’s a good start to a decent story. Here is the prompt: There is an urban legend floating around about a taxi that doesn’t…

Any of my personal essay students will tell you that I often say, “It’s important to use  writing as a form of discovery.” I contend that personal essays that set out to prove a point automatically have built-in constraints.  The writer has a plan, an objective, a purpose, which is to convince the reader of…

This is a quick and easy recipe that is perfect for summer lunches or dinners. Personally, anything that has sesame oil is a taste treat; add fresh ginger to the mix and it can’t help but be a winner. It’s also nice that these lettuce wraps are quite healthy, which is always a plus, especially…

I wrote this piece several years ago but re-read it tonight and believe it is still relevant. I continue to have trouble making a mess but am getting better at recognizing that messes are necessary in order to disrupt the status quo and try something new. *** I have always hated what comes first when…

The Broad Art Museum is in downtown LA and is named for Eli and Edythe Broad, philanthropists who personally financed the building of the $140 million museum designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Gensler. The museum holds the Broads’ personal contemporary art collection of over 2,000 pieces and features works by over…