He is holding my hand, my son, now 32, balder than he was when he was born. We’ve gone to Ponto Final, a restaurant on the Tagus River in...

On the night of the second presidential debate in early October 2016, our neighbor was mowing our acreage in rural North Carolina as he’s...

On August 10, my hometown of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was devastated by a hurricane-like storm called a “derecho.” Most everyone lost power...

I can’t stop looking, watching, reading. I move from Facebook to Instagram. Everyone I know in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and surrounding...

This dear one left the planet today – on Summer Solstice, a day she loved. Karen, you will be so missed AND I know you are free – and...

This article was first published December 31, 2018, by Radish Magazine. I’ve always been a person who makes New Year’s resolutions. I’ve...

On Saturday, March 24th, my 26-year-old daughter and I were among the hundreds of thousands of people gathered on Pennsylvania Avenue in...

[This column was first published in Radish Magazine, July 5, 2017.] I’m getting old. I know it by the calendar — I turned 54 in May. I...

[This blog first published on Huffington Post, March 14, 2017.] It’s rare that I start off an author interview with “I f***ing love your...

[This blog first published on Huffington Post, November 13, 2017.] When it comes to books, I lean toward nonfiction—specifically memoir....

[This blog first published on Huffington Post, Dec. 21, 2017.] I adore author Abigail Thomas—as a writer, teacher and as a human being....

They’re both Leos, born in the heat of early August. My son, Keegan, almost 28. My grandson, Owen, “mostly” 6, as he likes to say. In...

I’m worried. I’m worried about this friend and that friend — the ones who care so deeply, who are so very angry right now. Who post every...

My friend Delise would have been 54 today. But complications of something called Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP)...

On Sunday night, I talked with a family member who voted for Donald Trump. She doesn’t hate or endorse hate. She’s not stupid or...

The sun is shining. The sky is blue. The neighbor’s Trump signs are down. Frost coats the grass. My dogs greet the neighbor dog. A...

Election night, my wife and I went out to eat at a Thai and sushi restaurant about 10 miles from our home in rural Central North...

This blog first appeared on Huffington Post, November 2, 2016. I was raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, about 95 miles northeast of Fairfield,...

There I am, among photographs of a dinner table waiting for guests; a peahen, her pale white crest every bit as captivating as her cobalt...

There are times as a writer that I surely think “who cares?” Who cares if I write? Do I care if I write? Why AM I writing? Is it...