Over the years, I have occasionally given myself the gift of unadulterated time to write or think. While I am a highly sociable human being, I’ve always contended that I would be ok in prison for several years (although I’m not planning to go there anytime soon) if I had a notebook and pencil because I have so many thoughts, concepts and ideas I’d love to tackle or process. When I was young, my mother (a former teacher) identified very quickly that I was easily distracted (did anyone else see ... View Post
Channeling Hemingway in Arkansas
In the last post, I shared a bit about the town of Piggott in northeast Arkansas, where I was fortunate to spend several days last spring with a friend. I've always had a little bit of an affinity for doing random things with random people or putting together an event or social gathering that throws all sorts of differing personalities into a living, breathing experiment. While my husband is the scientist, I love the results of observing human beings in my own hypothetical laboratory. In this ... View Post
The Biggest Small Town in Arkansas
The charming town of Piggott (population 3,774) sits on the edge of Crowley's Ridge looking eastward toward the Delta, and it's surrounded on three sides by Missouri. Happily for Arkansas, though, it's all ours. When my pal and I made off far too late one evening in an easterly direction toward Piggott for a writers' retreat at the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center last spring, we had no idea the journey would take us two hours longer than we planned (be forewarned and ... View Post
Shiny Object: Contently
I'm a pretty big fan of the concept of Behance, which is a great way to showcase creative work in an online portfolio format. However, as much as I love the concept, I'm not a designer and the extent of my creative work is, well, words. In the back of my mind, I'd been halfway on the hunt for something similar to collect my written work from the last decade without realizing it. Since 2002, I've had several dozen pieces published on websites, in print publications and just sort of ... View Post
Saving Warhola: Article in Arkansas Life
Sixty-four years, $35 and one heck of an art school story. That just about sums it up. But for me, it goes even farther. I've said before (and am likely to say again) that I am beyond fortunate to occasionally contribute to Arkansas Life magazine. Writing about food, wine, travel and every corner of the planet has been an obsessive dream since the thirteen year old version of me moved from the West Indies to Washington state as my adolescent years approached. I made up for lost time by ... View Post
On Writing.
There’s a bit of a precursor to this diatribe over on The Food Adventuress, if you’re interested. In middle school, I discovered my deep and abiding love for the English language, and subsequently for writing as well as the intoxicating nature of foreign languages. I was mediocre at many things, and very few subjects held my attention. For nearly twenty five years, language and communication have made me tick despite an ongoing propensity (see: The Little Magpie) for chasing disparate shiny ... View Post
