I never intended to write a sequel. I’ve always thought of my novels as one-offs, stories that may be open-ended at their conclusion, but still convey the sense on the last page that things are done. Sequels are for mystery writers and writers of...
It is the curse of the humanist to want all the laws of science to apply to people too. I confess to being cursed in that way. A few years ago, when I was researching my novel Weather Woman and was reading a lot of science, I became captivated by...
My voice these days emerges sounding like the slow deep rasp of an old woman; occasionally it resembles the high-pitched chirp of a child. It is no longer under my control. Receptionists and clerks raise their voices with me as if I’m deaf or...
My husband and I push a cart through Target. Bearing a list, he is purposeful: coffee, cat litter, Tums, toothpaste. I, along for the ride, am easily diverted. “I’ll catch up with you,” I...
When I was diagnosed with an untreatable fatal disease two months ago (bulbar-onset ALS), I had the sensation of stepping off a treadmill. There were/are the expected existential thoughts brought on by the imminence of death, but alongside that I...
Dear Friends and Readers, This weekend I had my second vaccination, and it has been accompanied by not only relief, but a huge sense of renewal and possibility and hope. Maybe things really can change for the better? I’m already imagining a...
Not long ago I read a thread on Twitter in which dozens of young writers were bemoaning the fact that they had not yet been published. They had set goals for themselves and worried that they had not yet met these goals as they were approaching...
March is Women’s History Month and March 8th is International Women’s Day. Hooray, let’s celebrate! How can you not want to celebrate women? I come from a family predominated by women: aunts, sisters, nieces. I love hanging out with women of all...
Today (Feb. 23) is the 200th anniversary of the death of John Keats who was twenty-five when he died, an astoundingly young age for such a great poet and sage. The legacy of his that has affected me most profoundly is his idea of Negative...
Now that we’re launched into the month of February, winter has descended on us fully with its own special ways of insisting we respect the power of weather. Often, winter weather is a terrible hassle: the snow shoveling, the frigid temperatures...
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