So that’s what I’m using. That’s what Lisa would have done, if she was still alive. My sister would have turned 53 today, but for her opioid addiction. Lisa didn’t, as a good friend of hers in Tennessee reminded me recently, take flack from anyone. She stood up for herself, Read more…
Part 3—Final Day 5 of Teacher Walkout Note: I am a substitute teacher who works part-time in Monongalia and Preston counties. I’m also writing a book about the recent shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. This book will look at our culture and the state of failing Read more…
Part 2—Day 3 of the Teachers’ Walkout Note: I am a substitute teacher who works part-time in Monongalia and Preston counties. I’m also writing a book about the recent shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. This book will look at our culture and the state of failing Read more…
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — One month later, John has a new set of wheels. The motorized wheelchair, a gift from a local woman who knows exactly how essential such a chair is, has given John back his freedom. I met John four weeks ago on a snowy Sunday, at the intersection Read more…
I love farmer’s markets. They remind me of the rich, dark earth I played in as a child. There, every spring, I would help my mother dig long, somewhat straight rows in the garden, drop in tiny seeds, cover them with soil, and then watch them shoot up through the Read more…
First came the stealthy knock, carried out under cover of darkness. Then the sound of footsteps, running away from the house. And then, the horrible message: “TRUMP is our president now. Get out of our neighborhood now FAGGOTS!!” I hate that word. I refuse to utter it and hate to Read more…
I’m on a long and windy literary tour, which, thanks to Hurricane Hermine, has already featured one unexpected detour. While not taking Route 66, which is what I once planned to do, years ago, I am stopping to smell the roses where I can, meeting and writing about people who Read more…
I am currently without address. Unlike people who are without country, however, it isn’t that I don’t have one. I do. It’s just that the United States Postal Service and I can’t agree on where that is. The problem began in February, while I was in Florida on book tour. Read more…
Several years ago, I read an article about the importance of patient advocacy. “Never leave someone you love alone in a hospital,” the writer said. The reason? The high rate of medical mistakes, some of which are fatal. After years of being at the bedside of hospitalized loved ones ‘round Read more…
One year ago this month, an anesthesiologist sedated me. Then a surgeon used a power saw to cut through the bones in both legs. When I woke up a few hours later I had two brand-spanking-new knees. They have served me well, too. Five weeks after surgery, I was dancing Read more…