How I Had the Courage to Wear a Bikini this Summer
Like a lot of people, I got caught up in my share of the summer Olympics. I watched a man with one leg sprint like a gazelle around a soft, clay track. I saw beefy guys in little kayaks slaloming down big water obstacle courses. I saw lithe, teenage swimmers pop out...
Superheros!
Andrea Scher's Superhero Interview with Laurie Wagner is right here! So cool! So fun! What I value most in a person is honesty and authenticity, and so I aim for that as best I can. But it’s more than just a set of values, the truth is, I simply can’t tolerate the lie...
Starfish as Muse
If you’re like a lot of people, you mean to create a writing practice, but when you make time to sit down and write, you’re not always sure where to begin. You might even have a story idea – something that happened to you that you want to write about - but getting...
What Racquetball Teaches Me About Creativity
This post was inspired by watching a number of my students sink after what they considered a less-than-stellar session of writing. It is dedicated to them and to anyone who makes things: art, stories, pie. It is a note to the part of ourselves that gets frustrated...
10 Tips for Telling the Truth
1. Let’s start with the easiest one – Ask yourself what you’re afraid to write about. Bingo. Write this for yourself – you don’t have to share it with other people unless you want to. 2. Trust the words that come out of you. Don’t make them “better.” If you hear the...
Naked and Covered in Honey
“What would people look like if we could see them as they are, soaked in honey, stung and swollen, reckless, pinned against time?” – Poet, Ellen Bass, from the poem “If you knew.” I’ve been looking at people like that lately, especially when I’m peeved at them...
To Thine Own Self Be True
“You sound just like YOU!” gushed Jen as she walked into my house last weekend for our altered books workshop. I’d never met Jen in person before, but she’d recently been in my eCourse, Telling True Stories, and knew my voice from the weekly writing lessons that I...
Planting a Kiss
In the spirit of author Amy Krouse Rosenthal's work, 16 inspiring and creative bloggers (including me!) set out to "Plant a Kiss" in the world on Sunday, April 29. We each did something we thought would spread a little extra joy, color, connection, poetry, or magic in...
Telling a True Story
Easter morning, planted on the couch with my husband and our faithful hound dog, Zander. There are three teenage girls sleeping upstairs. They could be there until noon. Gone are the days of colorful eggs hidden in our yard and Easter Baskets loaded with chocolate...
Ann Randolph Adds New Day Workshop
Monday, March 19 9:30am - 4:30pm Alameda, CA Writers, Performers, Creatives! The March 18th day-long workshop with writer and actress Ann Randolph SOLD OUT in two days – all returning students who want to work with this amazing teacher again. I bring some pretty...