Tag Archives: writing

One Writer’s Life: July 2026

My friend Donna Miscolta’s new novel, Ofelia and Norma, comes out in September (pre-order here). Donna and I have been part of a writing group that began over twenty-five years ago when a group of Hedgebrook writing residency alumna joined forces. … Continue reading

Posted in creative nonfiction, Death and dying, Family, Literature, Mount St. Helens, Portland, Uncategorized, Writers, writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

100 Notable Small Press Books, 2025

Today LitHub has published a list of 100 notable small press books of 2025, and I had the great honor of choosing two of them: The River People, by Liz Kellebrew, and Sixty Seconds, by Steven Mayfield. When the call came about a year … Continue reading

Posted in fiction, Literature, Uncategorized, Writers | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

One Writer’s Life: December 2024

Taking stock of your year? Here’s mine: Project 1: Creative nonfiction My father was alive one day in May 2021 and dead the next of a massive stroke. As executor, I became the keeper of the paperwork: obituary, hospital bill, … Continue reading

Posted in creative nonfiction, Death and dying, Essays, Family, fiction, Mount St. Helens, poetry, Travel, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

One Writer’s Life: November 2024

A few weeks ago I was in my campus office teaching when my computer suddenly rebooted, kicking me out. It took several minutes to get back into Zoom, but when I did, my students were still there, kindly waiting for … Continue reading

Posted in Essays, Faith/belief, Literature, Writers, writing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

One Writer’s Life: September 2024

In the summer of 1996 I took a class called “Dangerous Writing” from a writer I didn’t know named Tom Spanbauer. Portland State University ran summer classes in Cannon Beach, Oregon, and although a week in an upscale beach town … Continue reading

Posted in Death and dying, LGBT, Literature, Uncategorized, Writers, writing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

One Writer’s Life: August 2024

The last week of August, I spent a few days in Westport, Washington, with my writer friend Jennifer D. Munro. I had intended to work on my book about the Mount St. Helen’s eruption, but there wasn’t enough time to … Continue reading

Posted in Faith/belief, Literature, Travel, Uncategorized, Writers, writing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

One Writer’s Life: July 2024

In Medellín and Bogotá, Arline and I attended a wedding, strolled the botanical gardens, drank great coffee, and enjoyed the enthusiasm of Colombian fans as they rooted for their team in the Copa América. We never felt unsafe, but had … Continue reading

Posted in Justice, Literature, Racism, Travel, Uncategorized, Writers, writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Thirty Days Thirty Poems

Over twenty years ago I fell in love and wrote a flurry of poems because that’s what new lovers often do. But when new love settled into daily love, I returned to prose. Now I’m writing poems again, this time … Continue reading

Posted in Literature, Writers, writing | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Books that Traveled with Me

Maybe it’s the pandemic; maybe it’s social media rotting my brain; maybe it’s the grief and stress of handling my father’s estate and taking care of my mother, who has Alzheimer’s, but I have found it difficult lately to read … Continue reading

Posted in Literature, Uncategorized, Writers | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Books to Awaken Heart and Soul

My writing brain went into hibernation during the pandemic and stayed in its cave for months after my father died. But I never stopped reading. Books have given me solace and hope these last few years; they have kept me … Continue reading

Posted in Literature, Writers, writing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments