Category: Real Life Struggles

How to Write in an Age of Anxiety

Yeah, I know. For those whose work lives aren’t considered “vital” during the pandemic (and why are there so many of us?), there’s plenty out there telling you how to buckle down and get work done at home—and some of…

The Growth of a Writer, or Two

I love my friend’s kid, who is now a freshman, studying creative writing at university. As a junior-high and high-school student, they wrote stories and sent them to me, asking for feedback. Other than the recent dystopic play about a…

Interview with John Vercher, Author of Three-Fifths

John Vercher’s debut, Three-Fifths, is a riveting crime story told with touches of poetry, razor-sharp characterizations, and the sort of cinematic pacing that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It’s also a powerful narrative about family, friendship, and…

Paying Attention: Darkness into Light

On this past Solstice eve, instead of celebrating by the fire with friends, I went to Lahey hospital for a last minute MRI, to rule out something an ultrasound had picked up.  The details of that true story don’t matter,…