The Department of Justice recently announced its intention to resume executions. I am appalled by this decision, and this is why. In 1986, my 70-year-old mother was asleep in her own bed when a teenaged neighbor broke into her home, … Continue reading
Stories can heal and transform us. They can also become beacons of hope. Quite a few years ago, when I was going through a difficult personal time, I came across a book about the inherent healing power of telling our … Continue reading
I know this journey well, for it was one of the lifelines that carried me back from my personal abyss, which I’ve written about before and will do so again. I have heard a dozen variations of what brought writers … Continue reading
Twenty-five years ago, my mother was raped and beaten to death by a teenaged neighbor on drugs. My mother was 70 years old and had been his friend since the time he was a small child. For a long time, … Continue reading
At this time of year, I often feel out of step with the rest of the country, at least as portrayed by the media and demonstrated by election results. This year is different. Like just about everyone else I know … Continue reading
Some years back, my sister gave me a copy of Louise DeSalvo’s Writing as a Way of Healing (Beacon Press, 1999). It sat on my shelf as I debated whether its contents would be grim or admonishing. I was wrong … Continue reading
