Beginning: In a first grade classroom down the road, there is a piece of chart paper stuck to the wall. “ON GATHERING STORIES,” is the title of these notes. You should listen, pay attention to small moments, use details that are vivid, and my favorite reminder: “You might think you’re done, but you’ve only just begun!” I know about the chart… View Post

You’re dad came home from Back-To- School-Night, or Curriculum Night, or whatever it’s called and said that in your English class this year, you’ll write a memoir. “I wonder who could help her with that,” your dad said. I could help you, but it’d probably be better if I didn’t. For the same reason I insist your dad go to… View Post

Dear Ollie, Here is a story about your oldest cousin’s baptism. She was wearing a white and blue dress and it was the kind of dress that billowed out so that if she wanted to, if she could at the time, your cousin could’ve rocked a nice twirl, showing off her chubby legs. She wasn’t walking at the time, so… View Post

I was part of a T.S. Poetry Press writing retreat this weekend, and led a workshop on the possibilities in writing conflict. This was part of my lecture:   I subscribe to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary “Word of the Day” emails with the idea – or hope – that I’ll use whatever word I learned in my writing that day. The morning… View Post

My lovely and hilarious friend Sonya and I are excited to announce we are teaching a workshop called Reading Well + Writing Well: Building a Writer’s Toolbox beginning in September. Sonya and I designed a 10-week course based on the belief that reading well helps us write well. Each week, we will give both a reading and a writing assignment… View Post