This began as a long-winded Facebook rant. I wrote it in response to some dangerous comments I’ve seen about people, including President Trump, promoting the use of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19. I simply do not believe this is wise. And I Read more…
PRESTON COUNTY, WV—Since I last blogged, my world has changed beyond recognition. If you recall, my niece had just given birth on Dec. 27, 2019, to a beautiful baby girl. Then my mother suddenly died on New Year’s Day. Eight Read more…
MORGANTOWN, WV—As 2019 exits stage right, let’s talk babies—and Facebook. First thing this morning, that social network reminded me of my actions for every December 31 for the last several years. Of special import was one memory from Dec. 31, Read more…
MORGANTOWN, WV—It’s at times like these that I think of Anthony Shadid. The Pulitzer Prize winning journalist died in 2012 from asthma, while on assignment in Syria. He was just 43. He was also extremely allergic to horses. Sadly, Shadid Read more…
#LoveThyNeighbor I am not Jewish. Either by birth or religion. Still, I felt compelled to attend last night’s public memorial for eleven people who were murdered in a Squirrel Hill neighborhood in Pittsburgh, PA. The service was held at Soldiers Read more…
When a pretty blonde stopped by my table at the Lewisburg Literary Festival in southern West Virginia in August, I had no idea of the impact we would have on each other’s lives. Me, with my writing. She, with her Read more…
Yesterday was brutal. Listening to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testify yesterday about how she was almost raped by Supreme Court nominee Brett Cavanaugh was brutal. Her terror, anxiety, and anguish resonated with me. Her raw pain washed over me. I’m Read more…
Note: Some of the following comes from book three in my Appalachian Families series, which I’m in the process of finishing. Never mind that President Trump signed an executive order today to stop families from being separated at the border—because, Read more…
A few nights ago while thumbing through my Facebook feed, I saw that my friend Megan Krome had shared someone’s post. I clicked—and what I read shocked me. Megan’s mom, Elaine Muirhead Hagebush, had died. The impact of her death Read more…
I’ve donated thousands of copies of my books—and I’ve never asked anything in return. Until now. I’ve handed out my paperback books to friends and neighbors, coworkers and fellow BART passengers, libraries, schools, shelters for abused women, waitresses who gave Read more…