How a 4th grade science project taught me to write about the moon. October 1, 2010 | 3:30 pm | Last Quarter Phase My daughter arrives home from school with a slim notebook covered with photos that represent the night — owls, a gibbous moon cut from white paper, a…

On having faith, and giving permission to let go — “How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again.” — Henry Scott Holland Dear Mom, The light is different here. If you saw how this place shines, I think you’d stop worrying about me. The light connects the landscape to every part of itself. It moves…

According to the American Cancer Society, about 600 adolescents, aged 15 to 19, die from cancer each year. In 2017, my daughter, Ana, was one of them. Ana was sick for four and a half years. During most of that time, even as her cancer progressed, I didn’t think that…

The hard work of carrying grief during the holidays. — There’s nothing quite like the holidays to remind one of the stark passage of time. At least, that’s what I kept thinking on Thanksgiving as I cleaned my house in preparation for hosting our first dinner since 2019. That was the last year we celebrated with extended family in our…

The bird site meant more to me than I realized. — I’ll be the first to admit that by the time Elon Musk sealed the deal on his purchase of Twitter, I was already deeply addicted to the platform. I joined Twitter in July 2008, announcing my presence with the following tweet: I posted a total of nine tweets in…

I was so desperate to be the writer I imagined I should be, I didn’t recognize the writer I already was. — I once mailed a 600 page manuscript directly to Tor Books. I printed the carefully numbered pages on a dot matrix printer, tucked it neatly into a cardboard mailer (along with my SASE), and sent it to a long-suffering editor whose assistant (I’m assuming) threw it on the slush pile…

Wounded birds and animals don’t have to suffer —Licensed wildlife rehabilitators can help. — There’s something especially heartbreaking about coming across an injured bird — a creature meant to soar that is suddenly suffering, earthbound. The good news is that its fate doesn’t have to be dying on the ground. New York State has resources to help. A quick phone call to the Department…

Platforms make it easier than ever for creators to get their work in front of people, but the hamster wheel can kill us. Platforms like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and (yes, I’m going there) Medium draw content creators, artists, writers, and opportunists for many different reasons. These platforms provide creative freedom…

I’m not afraid of death. I’m afraid of dying badly. At the age of about 80, my great grandmother was admitted to a long-term care facility, the nursing home where she would spend the last year of her life. She had dementia and suffered from a seizure disorder that caused…