The Seahawks and the words in a story. The two don’t seem to have much in common, but experiencing the buildup to the Superbowl within a few miles of Seattle’s epicenter has me thinking of crazy connections. Many years ago I took a fiction writing class through the University of Washington. The instructor and the… Read more
Uncategorized
Not too long ago my father-in-law passed away. He had one of those slow wasting diseases that makes those who grieve him say things like “at least he’s not suffering anymore” partly because we lost him by tiny increments months and almost years ago. He had not been able to get out of bed or… Read more
“Are you having a midlife crisis?” Two male coworkers asked me this at work this week when I came back after vacation with radically different hair. “No,” I said. “It’s a mid-life acceptance.” I remember Larry the hairdresser in his little shop by the hospital where my mom worked when I was a teen. He… Read more
Last Monday, I sat in the dentist’s chair as he tried to break off the five year old ‘temporary cement’ on my front tooth, and I mentally cursed my 16 year old self for her carelessness. Sometime in the 1980’s I had ridden my bike down a hill thinking the most important thing was to… Read more
The pain started as my students finished their writing tests. It wasn’t unlike a lot of the pain I had been feeling lately in my gut — just more intense. I stood up to see if that would help as my last two students wrapped up their sentences and spoke to me about their worries… Read more
I often think of decoding grammar as piecing together a giant word filled jigsaw puzzle. A thousand pieces to put together on a kitchen table is really not so daunting compared to the complex ways English and other languages fit together, moving with our new ideas and needs for communication. The analogy somehow helps me… Read more
Out my door and to the left and past the newest development with million dollar homes my boys and I have found a place of wonder. To the east of the road sits a pasture where horses roamed when we first moved here. On the other side, blackberries my sons love to pick crawl over… Read more
Title: SCAT Author: Carl Hiassen Narrated By: Ed Asner Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (hardcover); Listening Library (audio CD) Publication Date: January 27, 2009 Length: 371 pages; 9 hours and 17 minutes Genre: Eco-fiction; humorous; mystery; realistic fiction Source: Checked out from library Completed: October 7, 2013 POV: Third Person Grade Level: 4-12 Age: 9-12 Memorable: Humorous and memorable character descriptions. Beginning scene… Read more