The night before Valentine’s Day was going to be celebrated at my daughter’s school, I received the following text from my husband, Jonathan: Emmy bought God cards. Won’t give them up. Crying. Help. To translate our married shorthand, he was telling me that our 9-year-old, Emerson, had somehow selected religious Valentine’s Day cards, and now that he had discovered the fact he was trying to explain … Continue reading Heart of the Matter
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a working mother in possession of even a single hour alone in her own home will inevitably look upon some heretofore unremarkable object and think to herself, “Huh. I wonder if I could masturbate with that?” Such were my circumstances on a recent Thursday morning, when I found myself blissfully showering in an empty house, all on my own but for the company of my Clarisonic. … Continue reading Curiosity and the…Cat
With her 47th birthday rapidly approaching, my best friend, Lisa, has dipped a toe into online dating for the first time. Lisa is professionally successful, slim and lovely, hilarious and brilliant, cooks like Ina Garten, dresses like a model, and has a head of hair that would make a Disney princess angry. In other words, she is rich, gorgeous, generous, sensitive, and authentically cool (and I am … Continue reading It’s a Date
About a week ago, I received a tweet from a reader named Thomas, which read: I started a novel and got 3/4 the way written then lost inspiration. Anything I can do to rekindle the desire to finish my book? With permission, I’m replying here. Dear Thomas, Let’s begin with a confession: I haven’t finished my debut novel yet either. I’m working on it, with … Continue reading Just You And The Words And The Dark Sky You Shout To
I received the below email from a reader on New Year’s Eve. With her permission, I’m replying here. Dear Stefanie, I’m 37 and single and not a mother. I was engaged for a while and have been in a series of relationships for the last 12 or so years. I recently realized I want to have a family, but I’m mystified as to how I … Continue reading The Life That Will Be Your Life Forever
I have been trying, and failing, to write about the Bill Cosby abuse allegations for weeks. I am finding it nearly impossible to talk about, because I am so sad. On the surface of things, this story doesn’t touch me personally. I’ve never met Cosby. I don’t know any of the many women (23 at this writing) who have accused him of drugging and assaulting them. I believe these women, without … Continue reading Pantheon, One Fallen
I was flattered and delighted when We Wanted to be Writers asked me to contribute to their Books by the Bed series. I was also immediately thrown into all my old insecurities about not being good enough or smart enough or educated enough for this task, since We Wanted to be Writers has its genesis in the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, a place that seems nearly mythical to … Continue reading My Life in Books
I was asked to review the book She Can Fly via a thoughtful message on Twitter. Prior to that message, I’d never heard of the book or Kerry Keyes. It’s for the best that I came to She Can Fly cold, because I don’t know that I would have had the courage to pick it up if I’d known what it was about. That would … Continue reading Let’s Talk About Books: She Can Fly by Michael G. Gabel
This summer, my then 8-year-old daughter, Emerson, experienced two important rites of passage. First, she became the object of a young man’s affection. This boy, whom we’ll call DG, had it bad for my moppet. So bad, in fact, that he asked if she had email, and told her that if she did NOT have email he’d make an email for her, so they could write … Continue reading It’s Called FaceTime for a Reason
There is simply no way to overstate how enraptured I am by Thomas Harris’s The Silence of the Lambs. I have read the book six times. I have seen the Jonathan Demme movie more times than I can count, and have bought it on every available format, including laser disc*. I saw the musical twice. I own the soundtrack. I have a t-shirt with Precious on it (she’s pictured in her … Continue reading What Should I Eat While I Watch That Movie: The Silence of the Lambs
Working Without a Net 