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…

Here are photos of the 4th of July parade in Ojai, which we attended today with Liz, Ron, Ethan, Ray, my nephew Jim and his wife Karri. This is a wonderful down-home parade where townspeople put their chairs out up and down the main parade route a week before. There were lots of floats today…

Ron, Ethan, Liz, Ray, Len, Karri, and Jim Today, we went to Carpinteria, a coastline town above Ventura, where we spent the afternoon. We ate a good lunch at a seafood restaurant, walked down to the beach, then strolled through the shopping district of this quaint seaside community. My nephew, Jim (sister Leslie’s son), and…

Ray, Jim, and Karri deep in conversation

I have been working on a piece to submit to Story Circle Network’s annual anthology, Real Women Write with the theme this year on Mothers and Mentoring: The Art of Nurturing. The original deadline was July 1 and I have been hurrying to get an essay ready. However, today, I received the good news that…

At the end of July, I’ll be teaching a 5-week online class for Story Circle Network entitled “Food and Memoir, A Delectable Combination.” I’ve taught this class before and it’s one of my favorites since food is such a great catalyst for memoir writing. After all, many memories are tied to food, such as my…