Month: July 2025
An Afternoon in Ojai: Join Me at the Library!
I’m very pleased to share that I’ll be speaking at the Ojai Public Library on Saturday, August 23, 2025, at 2 p.m. I was a little shy about reaching out, but I gathered my courage and sent an email to see if the library might be interested in hosting a book talk and signing. Just…
Flash Fiction: Fellow Grievers
Jacqueline heard the crows and felt called. Their caws brought her first to the window, where their black bodies balanced on the telephone wires, then outside to peer up at them. Caw caw caw, they sang, and she felt a strange calm. They brought her peace in a way she didn’t understand. A young woman…
Advice to a Lonely Uber Driver
A couple of weeks ago, I took the train into L.A. and caught an Uber from the Burbank Amtrak Station. During the twenty-five-minute ride to my destination, my driver and I ended up having a straight-to-the-heart conversation about his love life—or, more accurately, his lack of one. It started innocently enough. He asked about my…
Similes Gone Wrong (and Right)
I know, I know—a deep dive into similes isn’t what most people rush to read. Dear Lord, you might think, just how wacked-out has this poor woman gotten that she is now worrying herself silly about the difficulty of a simple figure of speech? Dear, dear, the poor thing needs a vacation where there is…
The Friend Who Taught Me How to Love
Yesterday was the birthday of my childhood friend, Patricia Jean Butler. Patricia and I met as little girls at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, and we spent nearly every Sunday morning together—often followed by long afternoons at each other’s homes. Over those many Sundays, we forged an unbreakable bond that carried us through childhood and into…
Writing Advice: If I Think It’s Brilliant, It Probably Isn’t
I’ve come to understand that real writing doesn’t even begin until the crappy writing is on the page. Only then do I have the breathing room to go back and shape it into something as good as I can make it—at the level I’m currently writing. Sure, part of the process is about refining, growing,…
Grateful Now: A poem about survival, compassion, and the long path to healing
I have held that terrible time against youand against myself for many years now.I felt shame that I found myself in sucha vulnerable situation,embarrassed that I didn’t seewhat must have been obvious—or not,since you were (are) quite adeptat disguising that abusive part of who you are. I have carried that time in my body,shrinking back…
The “Someday” List in Progress
I have a secret dream of becoming a yoga master. Never mind that I’m not currently doing yoga. Is that a requirement for the dream? I’d also like to learn Spanish, travel to Africa, and figure out how to scuba dive. And then there’s sailing—I’d love to learn how to sail and have a place…
Tommy Wizzims and the Kindness of One Boy
I saw Jana Williams, Tommy’s sister, at the recent Bonhi reunion. I wanted to repost this piece in memory of Tommy. Today, I was cleaning out a closet and came across a large envelope filled with clippings and photos from my mother’s house—items I’d received after she died. I unfolded a yellowed newspaper tucked inside…
20 Minutes a Day 