Raising Awareness Begins with Sharing Our Stories — Note: This blog post was originally written in October or 2015 to raise awareness about invisible illnesses by spreading information. Miraculously, after six long years of fighting for my health, I entered remission from chronic illness in the spring of 2019. Despite some minor setbacks (Long-COVID entered my life in…

A Meditation in Grief — In the weeks since my sister unexpectedly passed away, I’ve wondered if maybe grief is not just a state of mind but also a parallel universe. There is life in this other universe, but it is very silent and still. STILL LIFE. I feel as if I’m both present and…

Ten Years Ago, Hurricane Sandy Hit, and My Health Was Undone by a Perfect Storm of Unrelenting Conditions — Ten years ago, I was sitting on a beach on Palm Island, celebrating my 45th Birthday with just my husband. We had purposely chosen an island in the Grenadines to avoid potential hurricanes, and the weather was perfect. It was also the first time my husband and I had flown…

Blonde is an ugly movie that aims for art as it debases Marilyn Monroe and strips her of dignity and her voice. — Dear Male Directors, Female trauma is not art. Rape. Abortion. Miscarriage. Pregnancy. Menstruation. Domestic Violence. Non-consensual Sex. Child Abuse. Incest. These are not metaphors or allegories. Or beautifully rendered hallucinations or fantasies. Violence against women and hatred of their bodies leave festering wounds that haunt women who are otherwise brilliant…

Like the Zen practitioner, a writer's life is one of practicing, observing, noticing, creating, and serving. — In the summer of 2018, while trying to heal from a debilitating long-term illness, I spent a week at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, studying Narrative Healing. Chronic Lyme disease had disrupted my productive, busy life and sent me reeling into an abyss of despair…

Americans are fed a daily diet of disaster, tragedy, and scandal. As a parent, I simply do not have the stomach for it. — Note: This essay was originally published in The Freedom Chronicles and was written in the months following September 11, 2001, when every parent seemed to be afraid of everything. The news only seemed to be making things much worse. …

A poem to unlock the soul. — I see the world for what it is… so magical and majestic, mysterious and miraculous. But sometimes, the world feels so big and cruel, repugnant and maddening. I love the wondrous people who inhabit this world, but sometimes… I hate them too. I hate their pettiness, and their need to…

On Oscar Night, a Verbal Slap Was Met with a Physical Slap, and a Worldwide Debate Ensued — While we're still reeling from the "slap heard around the world" on Oscar night and debating who was in the wrong, I think it's important to talk about the physical slap and the emotional slap separately. …

Preachy, good intentions are no longer enough when you are co-opting stories about marginalized communities and disempowered identities. — Last year, Sia tried to make a delightful fantasy film about an autistic girl who finds her voice in the world of MUSIC. It was supposed to represent people with disabilities with style, glee, and hope. I half expected it to be our generation’s Tommy. Instead, people hated the film…