After my first book, Opa Nobody, was published, I suddenly realized there was a thing called post-publication book awards. I was in the flurry of trying to promote the book and therefore getting used to this foreign book-promotion world. I was also working full time, and, to make things complicated, I the mom of a … Continue reading Post-Publication Book Awards
Category: general nonfiction
Letter to Myself, as a Depressed Person in These Times
Dear Sonya, I wanted to remind you that given the state of the nation and government, it’s totally normal to be super-depressed. The daily assaults on reason, fact, morality, and the future itself all seem to require a candle lit in the house of mourning. And you—while making your calls and going to rallies—have lit … Continue reading Letter to Myself, as a Depressed Person in These Times
Sacred Heart, Broken Heart
Though I am a Buddhist these days, I suppose nobody gets out of Catholicism easily--or ever. I was raised a Catholic, and I have been obsessed with the image of the Sacred Heart for as long as I can remember. The Sacred Heart is in my mind and heart now every day--it reminds me that … Continue reading Sacred Heart, Broken Heart
Paul Ryan’s Soul, Such As It Is
Paul Ryan Says Free School Lunches Give Kids "An Empty Soul." (Time Magazine) Paul Ryan, Expert on Living Without a Soul, Says Free School Lunches Give Kids "An Empty Soul" Paul Ryan Says Free School Lunches Give Kids "An Empty Soul," Wins Final Round of Dehumanization of Poor People Challenge and Claims 2016 Gingrich Cup Free … Continue reading Paul Ryan’s Soul, Such As It Is
Sewing Myself Back to the Noir World, with a Peach Pit Under My Tongue
I am trying to knit myself back into a world that is not so much changed as noir. The contrast is way up, a black-and-white movie of the previous life. The villains belong to my childhood, so 1980s with their Cold War mentalities and their penchants for Reaganesque excess and their truly reprehensible hair. In some … Continue reading Sewing Myself Back to the Noir World, with a Peach Pit Under My Tongue
If You Voted for Trump and Regret It, What Next?
Hi. Listen, I know you are feeling confused and maybe a little nauseous. I don't know what your trigger was for realizing something was wrong, but I want to applaud the sense of independence in you that led you to pull back and reassess. I wanted to first say that you are not a pariah. … Continue reading If You Voted for Trump and Regret It, What Next?
To Survive Trump, Ask an Abuse Survivor
For domestic abuse survivors or survivors of any kind of abuse, the experience of having a terrible & erratic man in our lives with a huge amount of power is scary & triggering. Hell, it's scary for all of us. Tonight, Trump let forth another outrageous tweet, one that actually is an insult both to reality and … Continue reading To Survive Trump, Ask an Abuse Survivor
Meditation for Trumpocalypse
I am barely going to be able to meditate, my head is nothing but my Facebook timeline. I am poisoned with caffeine, I am poisoned with caffeine. I lost two earrings and a hat, I got several projects part-way done and nothing really completed, or if they are completed I am not satisfied and my coat … Continue reading Meditation for Trumpocalypse
Dear Ms. Uh-Oh, Am I a Racist?
Dear Ms. Uh-Oh, I am really confused. I voted with my gut, which told me to vote for Donald Trump. Also my husband is really into Trump and I didn't know much about the issues, but he seemed like an outsider's choice and something "different." And now there are so many posts on social media … Continue reading Dear Ms. Uh-Oh, Am I a Racist?
How to Write a Book in Two Weeks
On March 28, Okla Elliott asked me if I'd consider writing a short book on Hillary Rodham Clinton for Squint Books, an imprint of Eyewear Publishing in London. I said no, because I had no idea what my angle would be for this project; I hadn't had any burning desire to tackle the topic, … Continue reading How to Write a Book in Two Weeks
