I remember the smell of my first elementary school's library: dust, aging pages, and a hint of peanut butter and honey. Actually, the PB & honey was probably left over from the lunch I raced through. All I wanted was more time in the stacks. I'd race to the V shelf, grab Jumanji and curl up in...
I've been flying through life at break-neck pace, and that's how I ended up in New York with hardly an inkling of a plan. I knew I needed to be in town by Thursday mid-day for a meeting, and that...
Have you ever given a gift, only to have it refused? There's that horrible iron-door-slamming-shut-between-you feeling, the kind that makes you back away. Offering a gift is an invitation. You say...
When I look at a finished artwork, I tend to assume the artist saw the work that way (polished, complete, refined) in their mind ahead of time. The longer I'm a writer, and the more I explore...
Yesterday, I finished a draft of a book. The project had a tight deadline and required my full concentration. Finishing was a big deal––a cause for true celebration. So, what happened the minute I...
A week is both longer and shorter than you think. If you're anything like me, you might set out on a Monday to do a laundry list of things, thinking that by Friday you'll surely have time to...
Do stories matter? When I come up against this question, I feel like I'm trying to defend an immutable law of nature, such as, say ... gravity. I do that defensive thing and throw out a bunch of...
A round peg shoving myself into a square hole. Often, I feel that way. How about you? So much helpful advice is flying around out there. Everyone, from your plumber to your online business coach,...
Every year, the Litquake staff put together a special event to serve students in San Francisco during their literary celebration. This event, Kidquake, provides an assembly where kids meet and learn...
What's so frightening? What's causing me to halt in my tracks and ask myself if I really want to accept the call, after all? It's this bothersome set of questions which should have simple answers,...
