Breaking the Silence of Suicide

Early into the school year, my daughter, a high school freshman, lost a classmate to suicide. The boy was well-liked, popular, kind, and active on the football team. The day after his suicide, they announced it at school. My daughter called. She wanted to come home....

A Writer Celebrates Ball Point Pen Day

I must confess my pen fetish. Imagine my joy to learn that there is a National Ball Point Pen Day! So buckle up, I’m going to teach you something you didn’t know about pens. This holiday was created to celebrate the filing of the patent for the ball point...

Celebrate Best Friends Day

My best friend Caryn keeps all my secrets. She’s been a loyal, kind-hearted friend since middle school. We’ve been through many milestones together. She taught me how to shave my legs with a razor. Whenever we talk, we pick up where we left off as if only...

The Comeback Kid

A writer colleague recently asked me to name the hardest-to-write story I’ve done. This article originally appeared in The Lakeland Ledger, Polk County, Florida, on May 3, 1998. Here it is. As Polk City Hardware’s softball team storms through the season, one...

Embrace Your Geekness Day

Welcome to Embrace Your Geekness Day! This holiday was not my idea, but I embrace it wholeheartedly. Think of all the people who have been labeled geek, wonk, nerd, and such. Among them are industry leaders, creative geniuses, outcasts, and eccentrics. I embrace my...