Back to The Big Easy
I am writing this from my hotel room in New Orleans, under the spell of memories from the past. In this city, where I spent three of my four college years, my visit has filled… Read More »Back to The Big Easy
Gay Yellen: Writing a novel is like…
How do you describe what writing a novel is like? Here’s E.L. Doctorow’s version: Some say writing is similar to riding a bike: you start out slow and wobbly, but then you get the hang… Read More »Gay Yellen: Writing a novel is like…
Name That Car!
Does your car have a name? One that captures its true personality? I’ve named some of mine. After all, boats get names. Why not cars? By my mid-twenties, I’d already owned two really fun cars:… Read More »Name That Car!
Olympic Skates
Like many sports fans last week, our TV was tuned to the Olympics. Gymnasts, swimmers, divers, track-and-fielders. Such amazing athletes! This year, for the first time, we also watched skateboarding. Skateboarding may not strike purists… Read More »Olympic Skates
Talking to Trees
A recent article in The Wall Street Journal has me thinking about the emotional connection humans often feel for trees. In “Why a Tree is the Friend We Need Right Now,” columnist Elizabeth Bernstein describes… Read More »Talking to Trees
Cruella and Me
Two fictional characters are making me crazy. One’s a famous villain, the other, a hero, and lately, they’ve pulled a switcheroo. Cruella de Vil, the nefarious puppy kidnapper of Dodie Smith’s novel, The Hundred and… Read More »Cruella and Me
Flying Dreams
Have you ever had a dream that returns again and again? When I was a child, I had quite a few. Most of them were scary. In one, I was repeatedly shot by a mean-looking… Read More »Flying Dreams
Gay Yellen: Block that Gift!
A wonderful friend threw a fabulous launch party for me in 2014 when my first book, The Body Business, was published. And several months later, she bought me a gift I’ll never forget. She said… Read More »Gay Yellen: Block that Gift!
Finding Comfort and Joy
In the before-times, the term “twenty-twenty” usually indicated good news. “Hey! Your eyesight is normal!” Or, “Wow! Your logic is clear-sighted!” This year, a not-so-good connotation arose. At the end of December, when calendar turns,… Read More »Finding Comfort and Joy
The Fortuneteller’s Prophesy
Ever had and unexplainable, eerily paranormal experience? Mine began in the other-worldly parlor of a New Orleans psychic, the summer after college. I was making a movie there. As we finished the day’s shoot, the cinematographer… Read More »The Fortuneteller’s Prophesy
