READ ALL ABOUT IT
Since 2012, I’ve been writing about books. And the act of reading. And the importance of story and narrative. But, mostly, the underlying theme of all I write is how taking a moment to stop and digest some longform text — instead of scrolling, instead of watching a video, instead of multitasking — can be one of the most grounding things we can do for ourselves. Here’s the one-stop online home for all this writing.
You can read more about me and my work by moseying over here. Want to peruse periodic “essay drops” — excerpts from my work-in-progress essay collection about Homesickness? Here ya go.
I Hosted an Event with Gish Jen!
What an absolutely delightful person! I was so honored to meet the writer Gish Jen in person last night for MetroWest Readers Fest. If you weren’t able to join us, do yourself a favor and YouTube her; whatever video pops up for you, I can guarantee you’ll be enthralled by what she has to say — and how she says it. Her work isn’t included in The Best American Short Stories of the Century and she’s not on the board of the MacArthur Foundation for nothin’, after all.
Chinatown
I love thinking about language, although — sad face — I’m only fluent in English. (This could’ve gone differently. Dear young people: Take advantage of your ability to converse and get around in a different language and keep using it lest you become like me…aaaaaand probably a large swath of Americans.)
I Heart Gish Jen
Last year right around July 4, I posted a picture of Gish Jen’s novel Typical American with the caption “We’re all typical Americans.”
Shake It: A Break from Regularly Scheduled Programming
Last night, my husband and I and our two kids huddled around a laptop watching old videos. One of my favorites? A front-toothless version of my now-10-year-old daughter singing “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess. Summertime, and the livin’ is easy… School has been out for a week, we’ve had some uncharacteristic 70-degree days, and the 10:30 pm light is making bedtime later and later. Summer: It always shakes things up a bit. So, I will too. (Shake things up, that is. Much like how Debbie Gibson sang “Shake Your Love” in 1987. Oh, to have a video of me singing that.)
