Crime Scene
In this essay, I explore the feeling of walking into a crime scene—one which has a deep, personal connection, as this is in the parish hall of our church, where my husband serves as Vicar.
Fading Roses
In this piece of flash nonfiction, I reflect on the cycles of life, both in the natural world and through the loss of a dear one’s mother.
The Ballad of My Cousin
Although my cousin, “Zoey” died almost sixty years ago and I had often wondered what our lives would have been like had she lived, writing this essay helped me process the terrible loss that overshadowed the lives of so many.
Piano Lesson
“In Mary Oliver’s “Music Lessons,” the piano teacher exchanges places with the student. As her fingers hit the keys, “Sound became music, and music a white / scarp for the listener to climb / alone…..”
In the Bleak Midwinter
I love the relatively mild Pacific Northwest winters. But I couldn’t let on to my mother that I missed my Seattle home as much as she thought I would. Life happens and who wants to be judged for their life choices?
Travelling Through Fabric Stores
Entering a fabric store is like going into a small town art gallery: most of the offerings will not please your eye, but occasionally you will see a painting you could hang in your home, exhibiting enough gentle nuance, the use of color and skillful brush strokes that you think it is beautiful…
Jenny Moves to Albuquerque
I am proud to announce that one of my recent essays, Jenny Moves to Albuquerque, has been published in the 2022 edition of the American Writers Review. This anthology of contemporary art and literature features established authors from around the globe, their stories, poetry and essays touching on relevant themes from today’s complex and diverse society.
The First Baseball Game of the Season
This August, I was privileged to have my essay, The First Baseball Game of the Season, published in Pure Slush Anthology: Lifespan Vol. 6, Marriage. Pure Slush is an independent publisher of fiction and non-fictional works from authors worldwide, and has been home to hundreds of shorts, essays and prose since it’s creation in 2010.
The Marimekko Porch
On the day before the world shut down, we made a last run to our local bookstore. On the discount rack I found a copy of James Beard, The Theory and Practice of Cooking. I read through the classic and made a few of the recipes over the next few months, but mostly I bought it because it was one of the books that was always on my Aunt Janice’s shelf, in the family room off the modern, galley kitchen, over the built-in, “L”-shaped white couches…