Just another cancer post: the clouds of Rad Onc
The gurney was hard, and I’d been holding still for fifteen long minutes. Tears pooled in my ears, and my nose itched. I took a breath deeper than I would have thought possible. “That’s [...]
Why it took me two years to come out of the cancer closet
Two years ago I was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. I’m okay now, and with the experience receding in the rear-view mirror, I can finally write and talk about it. From that impulse comes [...]
You can’t Google Translate the Mojave
One morning, back in the city after a camping trip to the high desert, I find in my inbox “The Owner of the Night” by poet Mark Doty. “Orion’s head over heels above the [...]
Ew, people, or What army ants teach us about home
I’m so tired of humans, myself included. I live in a city and that means hordes of us at every turn, even when we’re supposed to be staying away from each other. I saw [...]
The Manatee’s Big Day
Here's your access to the full e-book of "The Manatee's Big Day," for you and your family's enjoyment. Take me to the manatee!
When you’re awarded custody of a manatee
Writers work so hard to get published -- we can forget that some publishing scenarios are like bad marriages you spend years trying to get out of. Case in point: in 2012 I signed [...]
It’s never too late to write about that amazing trip
Afraid you’ve waited too long to write up that amazing trip you once took? Consider the writer whose work appeared in The Best Women’s Travel Writing, Volume 8 (2012). Her essay focused on a [...]
A fun house, arts collective, and million-dollar business: Meow Wolf
Now that in-flight magazines are on the wane, and my favorite, Southwest Magazine, has folded, I want to make sure the features I wrote for them are still available online. Here's a feature I [...]
Car Camping 101
Most of my friends can’t fathom why I like spending long hours behind the wheel, the road spooling out behind me. They especially don’t get why I like to camp along the way, preferably [...]
Owl Love
I'm in love with an owl. And judging from the dozens of people under the owl tree in Golden Gate Park, I’m not the only one. In a towering Monterey pine across from [...]