FROM CHAOS TO CALM

I recently attended a wonderful lecture at the Rankin Institute, the outreach component of The Fletcher School where I teach.  Granted it was a school night and had the importance of attendance not been impressed upon the faculty, I may have passed.  But five minutes...

YA Books in Verse

I have a very demanding friend who pushes me around a lot.  I mean, some years back she said I ought to get more involved in the writing scene so I ended up helping her out managing the SCBWI critique group here in Charlotte.  (If truth be told, we had a third party...

LAUGHING ALLEGRA WILL MAKE YOU SMILE

Working with learning disabled students is like solving a variety of intricate jigsaw puzzles on a daily basis.   Thankfully I’m part of a team-teaching group, but honestly, some days our collective wisdom is insufficient towards solving the puzzles that embody...

MENTAL HEALTH CHECK FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS

Recent news of the tragic shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and the reports swirling around the alleged shooter, Jared Loughner, brings mental health to the forefront once again.  So far, the facts seem to indicate that Loughner was suffering from an...

DISTURBING BOOKS

My book, Crazy, about a teen girl’s obsession that she will end up like her bipolar mother, is currently being shopped around by my agent, Julia Kenny of MarksonThoma Literary Agency. While I sit by and wait ever so patiently (smile) for good news, I thought it...

FAR FROM SPEECHLESS

I’m not in the business of movie reviews, but I can’t pass up the opportunity to rave about “The King’s Speech.”  The only thing I found disappointing was the fact that this historically accurate account of King George VI’s battle with stuttering was not derived from...