Poet Reporter
A different kind of reporting, through the eyes of a poet.
Drawing That Line
Did you ever sign up for something and almost instantly regret it? Like, maybe at the time you were thinking, “Well, my initial answer is no, but this might be a good learning experience for me…” Then you get roped in to a little more, and a little more, and before long it snowballs out of control. Suddenly everyone is telling you what you should do, and just because you don’t want to, what does that matter?
Emergence
Ah, emergence. This is my favorite word. I love it because it’s a bubbling up to the surface, a process of revealing something once concealed.
Not to be confused with emergency—no one likes those. But emergence and emergency come from the same Latin root. Emergence went the way of rising up, and coming to light, while emergency took the short, quick road to a sudden, unforeseen event…
Crabmeat Cheesecake
Memory portals. That’s the phenomenon where songs and movies can transport us back to a favorite time in our lives.
I love the movie Twister, likely for the memory portal it opens up for me. I’m talking about the original from 1996, not so much the new version. I was living in Myrtle Beach for the summer between college semesters, interning for a newspaper…
Champions Abound
The Olympic Games give us a couple magical weeks to find new heroes, reclaim old ones, and to relive the excitement of times when we were involved in something bigger than ourselves. It’s like being on vacation as a kid and jumping out of bed the moment you woke up because something big was going on and you didn’t want to miss any of it…
Champion Road
With the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics and the Super Bowl happening in the same weekend, everywhere we look we see champions. We’re surrounded by athleticism, grace, tenacity, and a never give up spirit…
Rise Above
When I was a kid, I thought I was Spiderman. I even had the web shooters for my wrists and used to run around catching household items in my webs. When I got a little older, I wanted to be Wonder Woman. I had a red cardigan with buttons that I would wear as a jacket outside when the Pennsylvania weather was decent…
Holiday Dinner
At a birthday this weekend, a bunch of us sat around the table with coffee and cake retelling old stories. These are the best days, when everyone is talking and laughing together. This time, though, instead of just following along, I found myself asking direct questions and trying to get the details right. I’ve heard many of these stories before, and it’s high time I did something about it…
Misfits and Christmas Letters: A How-To Guide
Sometimes you sit down to write and you have nothing to say. Other times you have so much on your mind that the words get jammed from your mind to your pen/keyboard. It happens whether you’re writing books, blogs, or Christmas letters…
Permanent Record Card
I ran into one of my high school teachers this weekend. Mr. E. was selling his books at the same event where I was selling mine. He introduced himself and I recognized his name, so we talked and caught up for a few minutes…
Placemat on a Dinosaur
Growing up, when my extended family got together we got into fights. We’d gather, set potluck dishes anywhere they’d fit, maybe even watch a little of the holiday parade on TV while we waited for everyone to show up. Then we’d line up to fill out plates and settle at various tables. And sometime before the end of dinner…
Frosting Face
The craft show atmosphere is a lot like an airport at Christmas time. There’s a lot of baggage and hustle and bustle, and big personalities that squabble over small things and quiet people who absorb it all with a pen in hand…
The Pilot’s Gamble: How It Ends
A man about my age overhears my arrangements and approaches. “You were on the Minneapolis flight that was cancelled? Me too. I’m renting a car from Wisconsin if you’d like to ride with me.”
I counter…
The Pilot’s Gamble: How It Starts
Here’s a story for you, about a flight I took from Pittsburgh to Rochester (Minnesota) that connected through Chicago. (As always, this was years ago. Years from now, I’ll tell stories from today. And I’ll still say, “Years ago…”)
Anyway, the story…
Crazy Eights
One night back when I was waiting tables, a couple came in with their newborn baby and then the grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins all started arriving and we had this big table full of family that took up an entire quarter of the dining room. I say “we” because I was right there with them…
The Good China
A friend once told me a story about finally getting the kids down for a nap one day just as the doorbell rang. In the driveway, she saw her best friend’s car. She looked around at her messy house, with laundry and life’s debris everywhere…