March is confusing, boasting the onset of spring amidst weather upsets not unlike Syracuse heading to the Final Four. When I hailed the same home as the Orange, there were years it snowed in late April. I knew what to expect there. In Virginia, I need a jacket before work and windows down after it. … Continue reading Blossoms and Brackets
Month: March 2016
Villains and Heroes
I'm a simple schoolteacher. I'm not qualified to speak publicly about war or terrorism. I spend the majority of my waking hours selling reading and writing to teenagers within the same four walls, day after day. My world often shrinks to that classroom. I tell my students to write what they know, and I don’t … Continue reading Villains and Heroes
Rescuing Rapunzel
If I could say one thing to nineteen-year-old me, it would be, “You’re going to date Prince Charming.” Mere acquaintances in college, I simply had a sense about him. That he would be strong and silent, yet gentlemanly and romantic. That he was a quality guy of integrity. He was, quite simply, out of my … Continue reading Rescuing Rapunzel
What We Stay Alive For
Abriel. Female. Age 24. Deceased. When I taught her eight years ago, her blonde hair framed her full, genuine smile. Her voice emerged in our poetry unit back at Nashville School of the Arts, where Principal boB (yes, he spells his name backwards) led with a passion for The Beatles and Superman, supplemented by now … Continue reading What We Stay Alive For
An Hourglass Minute
My magnolia trees will bloom soon. In fact, a few impatient buds are already crawling out of their casing, begging for light. It will be my second spring in this rented bungalow. Now, I know to expect magnolias. That they’ll be cotton candy pink. That they’ll bloom for only a few weeks. That they’ll shade … Continue reading An Hourglass Minute
Writer's Growth 