We are in danger of overreacting. Every day the front pages of newspapers and the news shows scream. Every day friends use more and more exaggerated terms…
Can Writing Be Taught?
I face this crucial question whenever I am about to begin teaching another workshop, always now in memoir writing, which over the last twenty years has become a crucial form of self-expression for many women and some men who aspire to shape, refine and share their stories.
Staring the Devil in the Eye Every Morning
It’s too late to roll back the advances of the last 80 years, the changes in laws and behavior and expectation that have been and are the work of thousands of nameless women.
Ordinary Miracles
It seemed to me so beautiful, such a miracle, that I wondered why we were not all dancing and shouting jubilee.
The Heavens Shed a Tear
The death of the people’s pope brings universal sadness but also for me a sense of great gratitude for what he was and what he stood for in spite of mighty resistance.
The Spirit of Easter
To me, Good Friday now means that we are about to experience She Is Risen: spring, the yellow tulips in my garden, and the statue of the goddess Quan Yin.
My Friends the Ravens
I keep waiting grumpily for a spell of warm, settled weather. But not my friends the ravens. This is the weather they adore.
The Pleasures of Being a Lifelong Learner
One of the many advantages of a long life is that there’s time—if it is well used—to keep on learning. I’m reminded of this as I begin again to work
The Worm Turns
With the march yesterday—snow and severe cold here—I’m sensing something is changing that doesn’t depend on crowds turning out. It seems this country is finally rebelling.
The One Hundredth Anniversary
All hail Eva Lee Smith Cooper and all women who persevere.