An island of fossilized coral sits surrounded by Caribbean waters about 50 miles off the Venezuelan coast. This island is home to 1,100 wild donkeys, 15,000-20,000 pink flamingoes, and 30,000 wild goats. And only 20,000 people. What this not-so-typical Caribbean island, Bonaire, lacks in glitzy nightlife and casinos, it makes up for with some of […]
Can We Stop Using Writing as Punishment in Schools?
For as long as there have been teachers, kids, and writing implements, writing has been used to punish unruly students. Whether it was writing “I will not talk in class” twenty times on the chalkboard or being told to pen a dreaded 500-word essay on “respect” after a too-rowdy assembly, most of us have memories […]
When Storms and Direful Thunders Break
Lighting, of course, is an essential part of any stage performance. Usually, the lighting is planned and provided by the play’s director and stage crew. Last week, at a performance at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, something else was at hand. I’d gone with a friend to see of The Two Gentlemen of Verona on the […]
Ten Things I Can’t Live Without as a Writer That Are Conspiring to Kill Me
They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. But I’m starting to think what makes me stronger is going to kill me anyway, just for giggles. So here it is, this week’s list of things I can’t live without as a writer, but which I’m certain are going to shorten my lifespan by years. […]
How Are You, Really? Thoughts on Memorial Day
In my inbox, a letter from a fellow writer: “How are you, really?” she asked, not just to me, but to all the writers she knows. She asked because she, too, is living through this time when every week brings a new, devastating knife to our society’s heart. She knew we are all suffering. How […]
10 Easy Ways to Sabotage Your Writing Career
Is your writing going way too well? Confidence high? Productivity off the charts? Well, I’m here to help. Here are 10 easy steps for knocking your writing career into the dirt. Make excuses for not writing. (FYI: social media, making “mood boards,” household chores, and shopping for cute notebooks are all good excuses.) Refuse to […]
