Dearest reader, I am fortunate in many ways. One way is that I have the best friends on the planet. Hands down. Do not challenge me – you will lose! They have been there in the ups and downs and never waiver. I don’t care what season of my life I met them, they have stood by me. This March, for my birthday, I asked my dear friend Kelly to paint a goddess painting of me for me. I know, I know – I did what?! She’s a brilliant artist and I have many paintings by Kelly in my hous

Dear Reader, Writing has always been my way of saying, I was here. This mattered. When life fractures us, language becomes a bridge between what we feel and what we can survive. Poetry, especially, allows room for truth without explanation—it lets us speak without apology. Lately, I’ve found myself leaning into that more than ever. I am metabolizing grief and transmuting it into art—poems, songs, fragments of feeling that don’t always make sense until they land on the page. M

Hello Dear Readers, This month, I had the honor of attending a Poetry Jam with the 4th graders at Thoreau Elementary School in Madison, WI. It’s a return visit for me and I always enjoy the event. I shared some of my story and poetry from my new book, Shadow Work, and then listened to students from three classes read their original poems. It’s a big deal to read a poem out loud to your classmates and I never take this for granted. The students and teachers spend so much time

Hello dear reader! We are experiencing a second summer in the Midwest right now. Soon we will be fully immersed in all things pumpkin, sweaters, and hot drinks! I took a trip to Colorado and had a great time at Red Rocks Park & Amphitheater seeing Brandi Carlile opener, Lucius. A few years ago I was there was for a Sarah McLachlan with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra concert and it was one of the best concerts. We went two out of the three nights Brandi was there and it

I love to cook! I think I’m a decent chef-in-the-making and it’s a terrific artistic outlet for me. I don’t always take the time to make...