I was in high school, sitting in my Youth Group Director’s living room with a bunch of other high school kids, and I can’t say for sure who was there, but I could make a few guesses. Most of us were girls, kids I’d known since I was six. Boys were active in the Youth Group too, but this was… View Post

This is a piece I wrote for the Ypsilanti Community School newsletter the librarians put together once a month.  The week before summer vacation ended, I was sitting in Zingerman’s Coffeehouse, one hand around a mug of freshly poured coffee, and another on a cover of a book called June Sparrow and the Million Dollar Penny by Rebecca Chase. My daughters,… View Post

“But I can’t write poetry!” you tell me. I know, I know, you sweet thing. Me neither. Let’s just you and I talk about the greatest season of all time: fall. Some call it autumn. Tell me about what you notice when autumn happens. You know, leaves turning into fire, football games, air so crisp and clear like the first… View Post

At the grocery story, I misread “violets” for “violence” on a bottle of wine. “Bold, with hints of violence,” and I think, “Why would I want to drink something with hints of violence?” What does violence taste like? I went to the grocery store because I’m stuck on a last chapter and also because we need food, so I figured… View Post

It’s been a good summer, but today it is over. I will hit publish on this post, pick up my keys, and my school bag, and head for the door. It’s that time of the year people in the education world call “Professional Development,” or “In-Service” week. We were told that, if we aren’t there by 8am, the doors to… View Post