My friend, Sonny, sent me this poem yesterday. While he was visiting, we had been talking about writing, and he said, “I have a poem I wrote a few years back that I’ll share with you.” This is that poem. Sonny lives in the Northeast Berkshire Mountains in Massachusetts. He was awarded a Purple Heart…
What Makes Me Dull and Uninteresting: A List
This was a writing prompt from Dinty W. Moore’s book Crafting the Personal Essay: A Guide for Writing and Publishing Creative Nonfiction. What makes me dull and uninteresting? A list in no particular order: 1) Being too polite2) Being self-absorbed3) Being afraid4) Being nervous and self-conscious5) Not taking risks6) Not pushing beyond my limitations7) Getting…
My Upcoming Story Circle Network Class: “Exploring Prejudice With the Help of Five Acclaimed Black Women Writers”
I will teach an online class on prejudice starting Monday, February 3 – March 3, from 3:30 – 5 Central Time for Story Circle Network, a women’s writing organization encouraging all women to tell their stories. We’ll look at the writings of Zora Neale Hurston, Toni Cade Bambara, Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, and Roxane Gay…
Thanks for the Visit, Sonny!
Sonny, Nico, and Ray The man on the left in this photo is our dear friend of forty years, Sonny Crawford. He has been visiting us here at the orange grove for the past 8 days and will leave on Wednesday to return to Massachusetts, where his wife and two sons live. Ray met Sonny…
Martin Luther King, Jr’s Wisdom in Our Trouble Times
Over the past two weeks, I have talked with several people dealing with difficult losses. One person has lost his housing and is living at the LA Mission, another has lost her house due to the Altadena fire and is temporarily living in a friend’s guesthouse, another’s elderly mother-in-law unexpectedly died, another’s seemingly healthy younger…
A Rethink On My Book Release Date
Hi all, I am letting you know that I am delaying my book release for a few weeks. Between the Southern California fires and the upcoming Inauguration, I decided to let everything settle down before sending my book out into the world. I realize I’m making an assumption that things will settle down, which is…
A Roadside Taste Treat
Tonight, we drive over to this food stand on Highway 33 between Oakview and Casitas Springs (right outside of Ojai) for dinner. The night was cold, but the food was hot, delicious, and plentiful. I had a chicken quesadilla that was so big I had to bring half of it home. The bean burritos were…
Happy Birthday, Liz!
Today is our daughter Elizabeth’s birthday. She is the mother of Ethan and the wife of Ron. You know that Liz is around because you will hear her laugh. She has a great sense of humor. Liz is smart, funny, and kind. She is also a loving and patient mother. I feel extremely fortunate to…
Happy Birthday, Lee!
My first cousin, Lee Leatherwood, is celebrating his birthday today. Lee and I grew up together and have birthdays six days apart. He and his wife Elaine joined us last October for the SCN Sightseeing tour and Writing Workshop in Sicily. They also traveled with us in 2019 for our tour of the Amalfi Coast….
Sarah and Family: Home At Last!
Sarah and her family left this afternoon after arriving here several days ago as evacuees of the Altadena fire. Though we loved having them here, they need to resume their lives in their beloved community. Sarah said there were limbs over many of the roads and a “mildewy” smell in the air, but other than…
20 Minutes a Day 