Writing a novel (yes, another) and the beauty of trivia night

I recently discovered trivia night at one of our local bars in town and the timing couldn’t be better. Many years ago, I read an essay by Orhan Pamuk, a Turkish writer. He talked about the loneliness of the writer’s life. In the end, he said, you … [Read more...]

Madison Monday: Stained-glass windows

Living in an old house in downtown Madison is a porous sort of way to live. The boundaries between you and the rest of the world are leaky. The outside seeps in and your inside drifts out. This can be good or bad. It’s bad when the screaming argument … [Read more...]

She/He/They/Me Cover Reveal and Dear Mr. Henshaw

Yesterday I got to share the amazing cover for SHE/HE/THEY/ME with the world. It is a thing of beauty! And, both the title and the subtitle rhyme, which makes me so, so happy. Like, verifiably happy. I read once that the sound of an alliteration … [Read more...]

Mrs. Hendrickson and the flower poem

In about a year, my book—SHE/HE/THEY/ME—will be out in the world. It seems like a long time to wait, but I know it’ll go fast. I recently sat down to start writing the acknowledgements and realized it was the sort of thing that could go on for … [Read more...]

Madison Monday: Key West edition

Happy Monday from Key West, where the sun is shining and I am on my second day of two weeks in paradise. Seriously. Two whole weeks! This may be the best idea I’ve ever had. Taking the shuttle from the airport, I rode in with a couple who were … [Read more...]

Madison Monday: The List, 2018

I looked back through old Madison Monday posts this afternoon, trying to find some ideas for what to write about. There are a surprising number of posts with ‘winter’ or ‘snow’ or ‘cold’ in the title. I can only presume this is because being mostly … [Read more...]

Writing Thoughts: How to win the lottery

I drove down to Louisville to have lunch with my lovely sister this week. In the car on the way there, I listened to one of my favorite podcasts, Reply All (a great recommendation from Cathy Day). Reply All is about “technology” and “the internet,” … [Read more...]

Madison Monday: Finding Your Audience

When I tell people around town that I’m on sabbatical, some of them ask, “So will you be writing on your blog again?” They ask this in a way that I believe implies that they want the answer to be yes. Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m going with that. It’s … [Read more...]

I am a failed novelist

I recently saw this FB post going around with Will Smith talking about the importance of failure and I can’t agree more. Failure is super-important in so many different ways. Meditation is all about failure. You sit and your thoughts wander—failure! … [Read more...]

Madison Monday: Women’s March

This Saturday a small miracle happened in Madison—the first ever (at least to my knowledge) Women’s March. The march was organized by the amazing women of Madison’s Indivisible chapter. There were speeches and signs and singing and everything you’d … [Read more...]