When my son was three, he was fascinated by all things siren-related. One night in the Mission District of San Francisco, an ambulance was parked outside the restaurant where we were eating. No emergency, just hungry paramedics waiting for their "TO GO" order. When we left the restaurant, my son ran to the ambulance and … Continue reading Life, Love, and LTYM Show – San Francisco
Category: Powerful Words
Justice For All?
The moral arc of the universe bends at the elbow of justice. - Martin Luther King, Jr. Laurel Leigh, a dear friend, colleague, and co-founder of the Dogpatch Writer's Collective, has an essay published in the July issue of The Sun literary magazine. It's a devastating story about her nephew who's serving a life sentence for killing … Continue reading Justice For All?
Death and Poetry – UCSF Memory and Aging Center
I few months ago, I wrote about my out-of-body experience (spending the evening with a couple of exes) compliments of the University of California San Francisco Memory and Aging Center, where death and dying was discussed through the medium of poetry. Jane Hirshfield, poet and the Hellman Visiting Artist at the center (2012-13), led the … Continue reading Death and Poetry – UCSF Memory and Aging Center
Not Just for Poets
"Halloooooooo!" says Tigger! I've brought in a Caterpillar D-10 to move my email around after hiring a Caterpillar 797F off-road truck to haul it to my office. Each wheel, attached to the axle with 47 nuts torqued to 2300 lb.-ft. each, costs $250,000. Why, oh why, did I ever go on holiday?! Surely not just … Continue reading Not Just for Poets
What Does Literature Do to You?
I spent some delicious time with a few hundred Ansel Adams photographs today. But, surprisingly, the most memorable moment came not in the form of an image but as one of Adams's favorite quotes. It hit me head on: "People say that what we're seeking is the meaning of life. I don't think that's what … Continue reading What Does Literature Do to You?
Virginia Woolf – Foxhunting, Golfing, and Street Haunting
Once again, I dip into Woolf's writings and find treasure, of the wry variety. Here's the opening paragraph from her essay, "Street Haunting," collected in The Death of the Moth and Other Essays: "No one perhaps has ever felt passionately towards a lead pencil. But there are circumstances in which it can become supremely desirable … Continue reading Virginia Woolf – Foxhunting, Golfing, and Street Haunting
Humor and Tragedy for SCBWI
Well, folks, the SCBWI's spring conference at Asilomar was inspiring, despite the food provided by ARAMARK. The glutinous pad thai noodles, grey prime rib, and screams for life-rings from the nicoise salad ingredients as they bobbed above the pool of nondescript salad dressing---all this failed to throttle the enthusiasm of the children’s book writers and … Continue reading Humor and Tragedy for SCBWI
Carp Fishing and Poetry–Who Knew?
Thank you, Samir of Cecile's Writers, for presenting me with a Liebster Award! You're one of my favorite bloggers who expands my thinking horizons, and I appreciate it immensely! For readers who always eat their desserts first, page down for the carp fishing video. As part of the award, Samir asked me to answer 11 … Continue reading Carp Fishing and Poetry–Who Knew?
The Power of the Pen
I love the quote mentioned in today's New York Times (5/14/2012), regarding a march instigated by a group of Russian writers just wanting to take a protest stroll (against Putin's crackdown on dissent) through central Moscow without being harassed, beaten, arrested, etc. : "Russian history is full of confrontations between leaders and writers, whom Stalin … Continue reading The Power of the Pen
Jilanne Hoffmann 