Tending the Hearth Fires of Hope

It’s hard to express in plain, unpanicky words the kind of fear I’ve seen online every day since the election, drastically increasing in the two weeks since the Inauguration, ever present alongside messages of outrage and hopeful encouragements from activists and those who are learning to be engaged citizens for the first time–just as I … Continue reading →

In Memoriam William Randolph Patterson, 1921-2014

I am three. When it is bedtime, Papa tells me a story. Usually, by request, it is Jack and the Beanstalk. Jack is my grandfather’s favorite story, and he tells it well, giving Jack the heavy Texas drawl of his small town youth. The squawking of the goose and the thunderous fall of the giant … Continue reading →

Political Correctness or Polite Consideration?

I’ve been interested in the term “politically correct” for a long time.  I remember when the word exploded into public discourse in the early 1990s, and how it became a jeering bludgeon for overly cautious (often to the point of being contorted) speech.  And I watched as the word gained and held traction until it … Continue reading →

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Whitewashing for a New Era

I feel like I’m betraying a friend in writing this blog post.  That’s ridiculous, of course.  I have never met Tina Fey.  But maybe because I’ve admired her work creating opportunities for women for so long, maybe because I wish I could hang out with Liz Lemon noshing on some “night cheese,” I am protective … Continue reading →

The God of Microbes

For as long as I have had a real, conscious, committed spirituality, it has been the product of nature.  I read once that the only time an atheist really runs into trouble, contrary to truisms about foxholes, is when he is overtaken by gratitude and has no one to thank.  I found it a resonant … Continue reading →

Walking Miss Daisy

When I met Daisy, a sweet-natured, anxious Jack Russell mutt rescued from the mean streets by a friend of the family, I hadn’t had a dog in many years.  That’s not because I don’t like them, it’s just because they generally take more time, energy, and space than I can muster.  When I take an … Continue reading →

Secular Sabbath: Taking Back Our Day of Rest

I’ve always felt pressured by the way some people phrase their questions about your weekend.  On Friday afternoon, they corner you at the coffee pot: “Big plans for this weekend?”  On Monday morning, you must report back: “So, what did you do this weekend?”  These kinds of people themselves always have “big plans”–their weekends generally … Continue reading →

Bisexual Identity (or, I’d rather be gay, but…)

I am a bisexual woman.  In honesty to myself and those I have loved in my life, I can call myself nothing else.  I was in high school when graphic dreams about my chemistry teacher, whose presentation was pure soft butch, began to disturb my tranquility.  I remember how confused I was, how I would … Continue reading →

Ain’t I a Woman: Fat Femininity

In recent weeks, following the mass shooting at UC Santa Barbara, women have been sharing their experiences using the hashtag #yesallwomen. I haven’t personally participated because I try (though I often fail) not to hector too much in public. That’s the surface reason, but there’s another, harder reason. In these questions of misogyny and the … Continue reading →

Talking to our Grandparents (While We Still Can)

I love history.  I love history so much it makes me squirmy, truly.  Whether I tell you all about it or not, I am constantly researching two to three different settings for possible historical novels.  And when I settle down and fix my characters in history, they are there.  They are living in a world … Continue reading →