Hello from Nepal! I’ve been having a wonderful time here; it’s especially wonderful to be traveling with my two kids! And Nepal is a special place—the people have been very kind, friendly and gentle. Traveling so far away makes me feel both how large our world...
It’s a gray February Thursday as I sit here writing, looking out the window to the dark tree branches arching out against the sky. When I was younger, growing up in New York City, I couldn’t see the beauty of winter. But then one day I looked at the bare...
I want to share something very personal with you. I want to take you inside my head… As many of you know, I have a PhD in English and am writer; I’ve clearly spent a lot of time studying and thinking about language. But though I spent so much time with language,...
Last week Mary Oliver died. Oliver was a huge model and influence for me, as for so many. I plan to write more about her in the upcoming weeks, but for today I want to share one of her poems with gratitude for her work and for her spirit: The Swan Did you too see...
Today is the first day of Hanukkah, a celebration of the miracle of light. In the Hanukkah story, when it seemed that there was no more light left, the light kept burning until a new reserve of oil was ready. Even in dark times, we have access to more light...
Defending the truth is not something one does out of a sense of duty or to allay guilt complexes, but is a reward in itself. the French writer and philosopher Simone de Beauvoir wrote We might see this historic moment as a struggle between the truth and lies: is...
