Plebiscite
Seeing the 2020 election not as a contest between two presidential candidates but as an up-or-down vote on democracy itself.
Punch Up, Punch Down, Punch Sideways
Reviews and an excerpt from unpublished work to illustrate different types of humor and to call for more that punches up.
Cautionary Tale…or Instruction Manual
A discussion of museum exhibits used by today's far right as an instruction manual for gaining and wielding power and how to counter this.
Canaries in the Coal Mine
For Autism Acceptance Month, cautionary tales in film and literature as well as positive models of disability inclusion.
Absurdities and Atrocities
Thoughts on propaganda and political violence, along with a poem inspired by my family heritage trip.
A Local’s Perspective on Overtourism
Last week I wrote about overtourism from the perspective of a travel writer and tourist, and my piece generated discussion both on the blog and on Facebook. But I live…
Family Heritage Trip, Part 2
A trip to Prague, where my daughter learned of the country's 20th century history and its struggle for freedom.
A Family Heritage Trip
While Olive the Sheep made her U.S. debut, I took my daughter to Berlin, Germany to see the house and the city where her grandfather grew up. Maddy never met…
Buildings in the former East Berlin at night.
Writing Historical Fiction With International Settings: An Interview with Anne Nesbet
I first met Anne Nesbet at the AWP conference in Washington, D.C. last February, when she was on a middle grade panel at Politics & Prose, a famous independent bookstore…
Traveling Through Time with Author Katherine Locke
Interview with author Katherine Locke about writing historical fiction and time travel, publishing with a small press, and the art of book promotion.