It’s that time again. The time for unwrapping stored treasures, recalling the day each child made every hand-crafted ornament, laughing about why that star decoration is missing a point or grieving for the poor third wise man who got shattered somewhere during...
With the holidays rapidly approaching, I’m working on my gift list for all the people in my life. Since I happen to be rather fond of books, you know those are generally my first gift choices. However, books as gifts require a good deal of thought. To make it a...
Growing up, I was the kid who couldn’t wait to get the summer reading list. I would pour over the options and drool over the possibilities. Some years I didn’t get choices, just 2-4 required books. Most of the time, they weren’t ones I would have...
As you may remember, last month I completed the first draft of my literary fiction novel, Beast—actual title to come soon. Writing this book has taught me many things (see 5 of them here), but it’s not done taking me to school. It turns out reading my novel has...
I love bookstores! That’s probably not a huge revelation for you today. The thing is I’d forgotten just how much I love them until this past weekend, and that reminded me of the mental picture I have of my dream bookstore. More on that in a bit....
In honor of National Poetry Month, I wanted to take a look at teaching poetry to kids. Now, I’ve read the horror stories of poetry-as-torture that some people recall from their elementary and junior high days. Most high school and college memories seem to be...
