It’s been a strange day of driving: I witnessed a wreck, and only a few miles later at a rest area, a hearse with pleated white curtains in the back window parked a few spaces away from my little shiny… Read More »Traveling at Speeds Unthinkable
The Ozark Mountains, an ancient range that spans parts of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas, calls to me every summer. Since my first trip with the environmental activist group Heartwood in 1998, I’ve been back to camp, kayak and canoe… Read More »Descent into the Ozarks
I sit a lot. In my car. On my pink sofa. At the kitchen table. My office chair at work. Apparently, sitting will bring about my demise earlier rather than later. It sure as hell hurts my shoulder, which I… Read More »My Characters Will Be Walking
What better topic to write about today than loneliness? One of my favorite issues of Missouri Review is themed ‘Love and Loneliness.’ My interview with David Sedaris is tucked among its pages, as are some lovely stories, poems and essays.… Read More »Are We Lonelier Now?
After four months teaching overseas at Harlaxton College, I arrived home to the Midwest just in time for Christmas. I injured my shoulder days before boarding the plane. I felt like a broken bird, and I couldn’t bear to be… Read More »Consolation