Meander through meadows, patching puzzle pieces together into a mosaic tapestry. Wind– unwind– but don’t unravel; follow the brook’s bedrocks as they hum lazily with current through distant soothing channels toward our hazy destination. This summer, I have taken a giant leap– into a new job! I’ll still be teaching, but at the college levelContinue reading “Changing Currents”
Tag Archives: #remission
Poem: Stubborn
Burrow your feet in hitching anchors to rocks, twisting roots within secure against the odds. Small and frail you begin, yet you grow among the copse: until you rise above the din, until you’ve bested every fraud.
Collecting Mini Milestones
For many of us cancer survivors, the five-year mark is a huge milestone. It’s believed that if you are in remission for five years, with no evidence of disease, that you can be considered “cured”. At least tentatively. Though it does happen, it’s rare for most cancers to return after so long. Many people noContinue reading “Collecting Mini Milestones”
A Peaceful Publishing Process
I’ve written and chatted a bit before about my latest novels in progress and rejection in the querying world. My latest journey into querying has resulted in 12 rejections so far, which I’ve learned with time is just a drop in the bucket. I’ve interacted with people on social media who have faced hundreds ofContinue reading “A Peaceful Publishing Process”
Poem: Message in a Bottle
feet sink into cool sand leaving whispered stories washed away with wave’s lullaby only slipping onto some other sands wading in memories brushing ashore again For this week’s #TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge, we were given the task to write a Butterfly Cinquain. I fell in love with this form when I first tried it a coupleContinue reading “Poem: Message in a Bottle”
The Toughest Lesson
A year ago this week, I finished the last infusion in my treatment course for stage 3 breast cancer. It was technically determined that I had no evidence of disease in the fall of 2020 after six rounds of “hard chemo” and surgery. (I jokingly refer to my fall 2020-spring 2021 course as “chemo light”.)Continue reading “The Toughest Lesson”
Learning to Let Go
My husband and I loaded the kids, the dog, and everything else we needed for a couple days on the road into the car late Friday morning. He’d already been into work earlier that morning, into which time I’d tried to force an entire day’s worth of grading, emailing, and student meetings while our threeContinue reading “Learning to Let Go”
Where do you find inspiration?
It may be no surprise from my videos that nature is my favorite source of inspiration! I try to get outside each day, even if it’s just playing in the yard with my kids, but I find forests, mountains, and bodies of water especially soothing, and, for whatever reason, they get my ideas churning. Ideally,Continue reading “Where do you find inspiration?”
A Lesson in Resilience
I’m working on two writing projects at the moment: one is a novel and one is nonfiction. The novel is a thoughtful sort of love story that is as concerned about the characters’ growth as it is with romance. It explores issues that are important to me, including life as a young cancer survivor. ThereContinue reading “A Lesson in Resilience”
Are you the main character?
As a writer and writing teacher, I was intrigued by this question when I heard it the other day: Are you the main character in your life? What are your thoughts when you hear this question? Do you agree with my gut reaction about control or my later (hopefully slightly insightful) thoughts about growth? AreContinue reading “Are you the main character?”
Words and Coffee Writing 