May 18, 2022Member-onlyMy Children’s School Was Locked Down YesterdayWhen are we going to demand a stop to this madness? My friend texts me at 2:01 pm, just as I’m getting ready to pick my kids up from school. Girl!! Call me “Have either of your children texted you at all?” she says when she answers the phone, skipping…Buffalo5 min readBuffalo5 min read
May 16, 2022Member-onlyStop Saying “This Isn’t Who We Are”This is who we are. This is who we have always been. Tuesday, November 2, 1999, Buffalo, New York I am standing next to a long line of people in the common room of a senior living apartment building on the morning of Election Day, waiting for my partner to…Buffalo5 min readBuffalo5 min read
Published in The Creative Cafe·Apr 26, 2021Member-onlyIsland FeverLooking back, Eleanor thought the dead squirrel must have been the first sign. That had been in the spring — one of those first glorious warm days after the long winter when everyone ventured outside for the first time to drink in the sun. She and Evie had taken the…Fiction4 min readFiction4 min read
Published in Tell Your Story·Apr 12, 2021Member-onlyCarry OnIt’s almost three o’clock before I am ready to leave. The car is packed: drinks and snacks so I can avoid stopping, hand sanitizer and a homemade mask, my knapsack and a suitcase carrying hastily packed clothes I hope will cover my whole body at the same time. …Grief5 min readGrief5 min read
Mar 20, 2021Member-onlyLetter to a Future AmericanWhatever happens next, I hope you know we tried our best. Inspired by this discussion on NPR’s On Point on a Friday afternoon. I wish I had the words to make you understand how hopeless it feels sometimes. Even when you suspect deep down that everything you were taught is…Politics5 min readPolitics5 min read
May 22, 2020Member-onlySo You’re Thinking about Homeschooling . . .A day in the life Maybe you’re concerned about what school will look like post-COVID, or you’re anxious about your children’s safety, or maybe—like some friends who reached out to me recently for advice—you’ve been struggling to keep up with distance learning, perhaps for multiple children, and you’re worried about…Parenting5 min readParenting5 min read
May 11, 2020Member-onlyWhen This Is Over…(from a Morning Coffee prompt) When this is over, I want to go to my mother’s house. I want to walk on the beach, shifting my weight to protect the tender parts of my bare feet as I walk across the rocky beach, sinking my toes into cool wet sand…Covid Diaries3 min readCovid Diaries3 min read
Published in this little meg·Mar 16, 2020Member-onlyTo the Newly Conscripted Unintentional HomeschoolersI see you. I’ve been watching you over the last several days as you scour the internet, looking for curricula, online programs, websites, charts, calendars, anything—anything—to give you a sense of direction. …Coronavirus4 min readCoronavirus4 min read
