A friend of mine submitted one of his songs to NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series. I work with Chris. I hadn't worked with him very long when I received my cancer diagnosis and had to take time off work. I panicked over how to pay bills (never mind the medical bills!) if I couldn't work. …
The Hermiones: Audre Lorde
I learned of Audre Lorde in the late 1980s when I read Sister Outsider. You can learn more about here or here (where I found this photo). Some of my favorite quotes: When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important …
Witches Flying By
I read Stacy Schiff's The Witches, Salem, 1692. Witches have fascinated me since childhood. In school, I was the girl intrigued by magic lore and fairy tales. I owned a Ouija Board and Tarot deck. (Still have the cards, in fact.) I wanted witches to be real. In 2014, I spent a few days in …
The Imaginary Invitation: February
Before I die, I want to ride in a hot air balloon. As a child, I watched hot air balloon races over my father's house. They were magical, and I wanted nothing more than for someone to reach down and scoop me up into a basket and into the clouds. If I could plan my …
The Hermiones: Harriet Tubman
Let's leave JK Rowling's world and come back to reality with a turn through history. I hardly know what Harriet Tubman would make of the Harry Potter stories and of me sitting here at my desk calling her a Hermione. I could have easily called this project The Harriets. Harriet Tubman lived in the real …
The Hermiones: Hermione! (Of Course.)
If you're going to name a group the Hermiones, you obviously need the first Hermione (apologies to all the good souls out there named Hermione before the Harry Potter onslaught). In my Hermione series, I've decided to include real and fictional individuals. Furthermore, while it would be grand if I could designate a Tarot card …
Thanks for the dance.
I'm two years out from my cancer treatment, and so far, so good. I see my oncologist this month for another check up. Fingers crossed. of course. When I hear of anyone who's died of cancer, I pause. The closeness of that person to me doesn't matter as a mix of feelings brew. A sense …
The Imaginary Invitation
I like to stay home with my family, my dogs, my writing, and my art. Venturing into crowds enlivens for a while. Then I need to stay home for a week. But what if I had invitations to perfect events? Let's start the year off with the ideal festival for books. Here's what I would …
Inner Demons, Beasts, and Other Creatures
The Imagination Hellion In most circles, imagination receives praise. Doesn’t it? I love imagination. But sometimes it prowls around the halls of one’s mind stirring up trouble. We say we love imagination. We buy toys for our children that are supposed to encourage imagination. We lament television and what it does to imagination. I remember …
The Hermiones: J.K. Rowling
If I could, I’d design my own deck of Tarot cards. I’d make several decks, in fact. I’d do one more in line with the traditional Rider-Waite deck. Another deck would be for writing. And another would be for women I admire. Hermione is a favorite heroine of mine. She's smart and brave and loyal. …
