While browsing an old library issue of The New Yorker Magazine, an advertisement with this poem caught my eye: READ. Read widely,...

A happening unprecedented: I threw myself a birthday party on December 25, 2009. Soak that in for a minute. It’s a few days after...

When I was 32 years old I told a close friend that I wanted to be a professional writer. He said, “If you haven’t done it by now you...

In a June 2020 blog post, I outlined goals for the remainder of 2020. I’m updating how I did here. Books June 2020 goal: Finish and...

I can cook. More often, though, I prefer to assemble. What’s the power in this recipe besides a nifty blogpost headline? · Ridiculously...

Don’t set out to write “The Great [fill in your nationality] Novel” or the “next” [fill in the latest mega best seller] or “like” [fill...

Joy is a conduit for procreative power. Want to write pain-free? Follow joy. For me joy includes the warmth of sun on my skin, its color...

“I think people have missed the obvious opportunity that could provide far greater reach and influence. It’s sitting right under their...

DC Announces Represent! Stories of Personal Experiences, Unheard Voices, and Social Revolution On September 29, 2020, American comics...

Engage. Comment. I dare you. Shannon Peel It takes a depth of humanity, transparency and presence to connect authentically with others in...

What do I imagine would happen if I responded to pain with softness and vulnerability instead of self-recriminations about how I am not...

Diane (a pseudonym) called to ask, “Are we okay?” A question I wasn’t expecting from 10 feet below the usual surface talk. I was at the...

“Overwhelmed by life’s complexity?” “Realize that our [English] alphabet consists of only 26 letters, calculations are based on a set of...

“When I walk into an unknown situation, I don’t focus on what others think about me, I focus on what I think about them.” I was 17 years...

This scar across my neck has started so many conversations and friendships. If you have been where I have been, you know what it means....

“No matter what your age or your life path, whether making art is your career or your hobby or your dream, it is not too late or too...

“If you think this book is just about ‘doing drag,’” says the Amazon blurb for GuRu by RuPaul, “you are sorely mistaken. For RuPaul, drag...

Exquisite Corpse is a collaborative game that traces its roots to the 1920s Parisian Surrealist Movement. Usually played by several...

One day in 2013, after a collage-making frenzy, I looked about my apartment at the tornado of art supplies and considered putting order...