I have met some impressive people in my life – many, in fact. María Luisa Arroyo, the inaugural poet laureate of Springfield, Massachusetts (2014-2016), is one of those people. From her bravery in confronting her own pain in poetry to…
Writers in the Trenches: Octogenarian Faye Snider Says “No” to Ageism
Faye Snider stole my first name. It’s an unusual one, and to meet someone else with the same name is always cause for raised eyebrows (never mind confusion among associates and friends). I guess it’s more accurate to say I…
Writers in the Trenches: Recent Grad Kelly Esposito
This fifth interview in the Writers in the Trenches series is special to me. My goal, all along, has been to feature writers at all stages of their writing life, whether or not they have a list of publications to…
For Sara
In truth, I hardly know her. We met 10 years ago, at one of the bi-annual writing residencies required to complete our low-residency MFA program. We didn’t attend the same workshops; Sara was studying fiction, and I was focused on…
Writers in the Trenches: Lisa Romeo, author of STARTING WITH GOODBYE: A DAUGHTER’S MEMOIR OF LOVE AFTER LOSS
Can a relationship with a loved one survive — and even evolve — after the ultimate loss? This thought-provoking question is explored by Lisa Romeo in her new memoir, Starting with Goodbye: A Daughter’s Memoir of Love after Loss (University of Nevada…
Writers in the Trenches: Essayist Cindy Zelman
For this third installment in the “Writers in the Trenches” series, I interviewed Massachusetts-based essayist Cindy Zelman, author of the CNF chapbook What’s in a Butch’s Purse? I met Cindy when she sat down across from me in one of…
Writers in the Trenches: The Inimitable Michael Steinberg
Welcome to the second interview in my new series: “Writers in the Trenches.” Not every writer featured here will have a list of publishing accomplishments – I will showcase diverse writers who may or may not have been published, but…
Writers in the Trenches: An Interview with BEFORE WE DIED author Joan Schweighardt
The first installment of “Writers in the Trenches,” a new series of interviews I’ll be posting on the blog, features Joan Schweighardt.
An Illustrator’s Desk…
Laurel McKinstry Petersen, the illustrator who is working on the drawings for my forthcoming children’s book, sent me this photo of her work desk. I can’t wait to see the final drawings! LITTLE WHITE: THE FERAL CAT WHO FOUND A…