PinnedPublished inPretends Everything is FineOn Not Being Joan DidionDidion lives deep, lets herself off the hook, and never assumes she knows everything. I hoped reading her words would work like osmosis…Apr 21, 2021Apr 21, 2021
PinnedPublished inPretends Everything is FinePlaying the Gift Shop GameTo manage angry customers, I played a game with myself. No matter what they said, I wouldn’t raise my voice or appear upset.Mar 8, 20213Mar 8, 20213
HeartwoodA flash of light and an explosive crack shake me awake. The power is out. “Did lightning strike our house?” I wonder out loud.Jun 15Jun 15
Published inPretends Everything is FineThis Practiced MomentWhen my parents drove me to an orchestra camp in Stowe, Vermont one early high school summer, we ate at Pizza Hut. We were arguing over…Aug 20, 20231Aug 20, 20231
Published inPretends Everything is FineA Blacklight for Terrible Truths“Mommy, what kind of shoes do kidnappers wear?” My thirteen-year-old daughter, Izzy, just got home from school, and she’s telling me a new…Feb 17, 2023Feb 17, 2023
Literary First Drafts: Me vs. ChatGPTWho’s better at generating an essay first draft? ChatGPT or me? I considered this on my drive to work as I was dictating notes into my…Jan 27, 2023Jan 27, 2023
The Joy ProjectIn January 2020, I made a pact with my friend, Starla. We’d hold ourselves accountable to joy for one year. We named it The Joy Project and…Nov 22, 2021Nov 22, 2021
Published inPretends Everything is FineRenewal After DevastationEd met me at the office to save the plants. It was a Tuesday in March after we’d gone into quarantine. A few weeks earlier, he and I had…Sep 14, 2021Sep 14, 2021
Target Practice“You can either live in our house or own a gun.” Our infant daughter was sleeping in her crib down the hall. My husband and I had taken up…Jun 21, 2021Jun 21, 2021
Published inPretends Everything is FineThe StrangersPrior to Covid-19, I mostly thought about strangers as warnings to my children. Around the time I first began teaching my daughter Izzy to…Apr 9, 2021Apr 9, 2021
