When I was little, I remember birthdays being a bit emotionally complicated. There was expectation, and sugar, and all sorts of other things thrown in. A birthday wasn’t complete without tears. Things are different now. Now there is coffee, and it always comes in bed, and there are cards that say, “I love you MOM!”…
the word
Did you know that Shakespeare made up the word, “uncomfortable”? It’s quite a thing to be able to create a word that really conveys what it sets out to convey, a word that holds meaning in its rhythm and its construction. Sadie’s turning into a word-maker herself. The other day, experiencing the joy and frenzy…
egg-free-not-so-sweet birthday cake
Oh, birthday parties. I try, I really do try. Children, presents, sugar. It’s hard to make all those elements come together without tears. This time, the tears started early, far before the first ruffle-dressed guest ever arrived. Remember that sweet girl who turned five the other day? Full of love and gratitude? Well she was…
rosie
Today, Rosie is five. A few days before Rosie was born, we had an ultrasound. She was a solid ten days late, and my midwife just wanted to have a peek in there to make sure she was okay. She was big and ready, and her form was so much clearer than what we had…
sweet cormeal biscuits
On my nineteenth birthday, my boyfriend broke up with me, it snowed two feet, and then it iced another six inches. As I hacked at the igloo that covered my car in the parking lot, my tears and sweat soaked through through my coat. A newspaper reporter approached me. “We’re documenting the storm. Mind if…
Occasionally I teach workshops, and I have one coming up this fall. Join me and stellar novelist 