Realizing a Dream

When I was a kid, I was a big reader. Also, a fast reader. I always had a book on the go and went through them quickly. Voracious might have been a word used to

What wants to be written?

“I don’t know what I think until I write it down.” Joan Didion, author of the The Year of Magical Thinking once said this and I completely agree. I always need to put pen to

A Solstice Invitation

There isn’t a lot of certainty to hold onto right now. It’s possible that your holiday plans have been turned on their head. Maybe you are reading this from your bedroom as you self-isolate or

You do not have to be good

“You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body

Writing What Is

This morning, I woke from a lovely dream. I was at the beach on a sunny day. There were kids and friends and sun-warmed bodies, lying close together. There was laughter and warmth and playfulness.

The Power of a Writing Prompt

Over the last year, I wrote two short stories that I never would have written before. How did I do this? Through the magic of writing contests, guided by prompts, and inspired by a deadline.

Your Wild and Precious Life

“How we spend our days is of course how we spend our lives.” —Annie Dillard Go hang gliding. Ride a horse. Learn a new language. Start singing again. Walk the Camino. See the pyramids. Write

Steal Like An Artist

“It’s not where you take things from – it’s where you take them to.” —Jean-Luc Godard Author Austin Kleon expresses strong opinions and uses vivid language in his book Steal Like An Artist. He argues

A couple of years ago, I co-led a writing workshop at the Trappistine Monastery in New Brunswick with the wonderful poet and novelist Anne Simpson. There were five women writers who attended, all at different

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