This month I’m the featured poet at Blue Heron Review! This journal has previously published one of my poems, and nominated it for a Pushcart Prize! I’m honored and humbled to be a part of this journal a second time. Click here to read their very kind write-up about me and my work. Click here …
Dangerous Territory: A Poem for My Student (& a Giveaway!)
Letter to My Student Emilia The teacher from the middle school told me for six months you’d worked a second shift job after lying about your age, then you slept every day in class. She made you quit the job, and in ninth grade, you begged me to help you find work. We thought our …
2017: The Year of Delight
Delight. That’s my word for 2017. Something happens when you grow up. Things that used to be shiny lose their luster. Things that used to thrill you seem ho-hum. The weeks leading up to Christmas are often stressful, not exciting. The family evenings at home can feel like a long list of chores, not joyful …
2016 Year In Review
This year, I didn’t choose a word for the year like I have in the past. Looking back, I’m having trouble finding one word to describe the year. In some ways, it was hard. In other ways, it was great. There were moments when I felt successful and confident, and moments when I felt lost and …
My Top 5 Favorite Books of 2016
Number 5: The Sparrow/Children of God duology by Mary Doria Russell – These books were re-reads for me this year, but like the first time read them (at least 10 years ago), I was deeply moved. These books ask the question: Can we believe in a loving God in the midst of suffering?” This, of …