In Defense of Fearlessness
Arizona Rain I think about fear a lot. Many of us do, I suspect, with a world-wide pandemic barely in the rearview mirror; a likely Republican candidate who tried to overthrow the government; and a planet that rages against us more each year. Fear can inform and protect; it can also limit and hold […]
POLITICS AND POETRY
My poems sometimes take a political turn. My prose seldom does, and if so, it tends to be less blunt, more circumspect. Confined in real-world time and place, the plot of a story or novel will address what concerns me, particularly the plight of women, but always as part of the […]
Random Thoughts On Nearly Four Decades Of Writing
River in New Mexico In a few days, I will be sixty-five. Got my Medicare card a few weeks ago. There aren’t many other tokens of this milestone, except being called a senior citizen. Which I’m not. Citizen, yes. Senior, no. In any case, I look ahead calmly and look back wisely. At twenty-seven, […]
A Novelist & Poet
I wrote novels, then poetry, late in my career. Up to then, my focus was on short stories. I produced one after another for about nine years until finally, one found a home. It took another seven or eight years before I was regularly publishing them, and my first collection, All The Road That Lead […]
Poetry & Image
cottonwood tree reflected in water, Lavinia Studios 2021 POETRY & IMAGE Poetry is a visual expression, even when it’s about politics, or feminism, or how nasty people can be. In poems, words evoke both what we feel and see. This is important to me, I’d say even crucial. Since leaving the urban mess of Seattle […]
I Wanted Brothers
I wanted brothers. Two, maybe three, but one alone would have kept me safe from my sister’s abuse, her never-ending rage at my being born. This necessary brother would be in the middle, between us age-wise, a willing defender. He’d always take my side. This brother would be taller than I but not smarter. I […]
In the Beginning
My first short story was written on brown paper using a second-hand Underwood typewriter I picked up at an antiques store. I felt so writerly, perched on my stool at my kitchen counter, banging away. My husband was studying for the bar exam and had trouble concentrating with the noise I made. Luckily for him, […]
Revising—A Primer
First drafts are rotten little beasts. They just don’t behave. They do what they want, and give you lots of lip in the bargain. Revising tames the beast and can, with work, make a beauty. So how do we affect this glorious transformation? First, we drop the hyperbole and focus on three issues: informational […]
My Other Keyboard
Staying home means finding ways to stay happy and sane. Even with cold summer weather, there’s the garden; another book to read; not to mention another one to write. But sometimes I need to get away from pages and screens and stretch my brain another way. So, I practice my scales on the piano. I […]
Putting it Out There: Some Words of Encouragement For The Aspiring Writer
Writing is a private affair. One mind, one hand holding a pen; or two hands hovering over a keyboard. It’s almost always carried out alone. And when the pages are written, then what? This is a key question because it defines a crucial divide between writers who write for publication and writers who write just […]