Every summer about this time, I remember the libraries have programs for reading with prizes to encourage reading. My mom tells me I began doing this in the card catalog days of my grade school years, and most summers I’ve remembered to sign my kids up before the end of July. (The libraries are always generous and let… Read more
Adventures
I have two places to find books when I want to know what to read next. It was strange to me that in those two separate places I found first Moriarty and then Holmes, two books I adored. 1. My Mother’s Kindle A while back, my six-year-old dropped my electronic book. This is what I… Read more
Jessica Lewis, the trombone soloist in our band, reminds me of Marci Kobayashi-Smith, my good friend in high school. Jessica is tall, with cropped dark hair and skin like the color of vanilla ice cream. She plays in the toasty church where we practice, wearing a knit hat in a quirk that Marci did not have but I wouldn’t… Read more
The moment I waved the gate card at the unresponsive lock, I knew I should have read the email before making the hour and a half drive out to Lake Trask. My boys and I looked up to see the sign on the gate boldly telling us to park our vehicle and check in at… Read more
It’s an absolutely crazy idea but one of my colleagues and I are going to start an art club at work. It’s crazy because who has that kind of time? It’s crazy because I should focus more on my writing. It’s crazy because we so often want to flee the building at the end of… Read more
A short while back, I listened to a T.V. screenwriter explain his process while making the series Colony. Carlton Cuse described a large room filled with writers throwing ideas around the room that bounced off of one another and grew bigger, taking shape and then forming storylines. The creator of the series Lost told the interviewer he… Read more
Spring in one of the best wonders I know and I’ve got a few photos to prove it. Blossoms and acres of green keep finding me wherever I go: The spring fair: Dogs that bark at me from windows while I walk deep in the hilltop: Of course, the black cat who curls up on rainy… Read more
Special Note: This is a piece I wrote for the Puyallup Valley Community Band, a group I rehearse and perform with throughout the year. It’s a wonder to me that music can mean so much to so many at all ages. For Katriel Looney, reeds are the biggest problem with playing the clarinet. It’s a constant… Read more