They Killed My High School Newspaper

Founded in 1922, the Perrysburg High School student newspaper known affectionately as The Somethin’ is printing its last edition today. It’s not because of financial reasons or educational budget cuts. They’re shutting down my beloved high school newspaper because of the students and their lack of interest. According to an article in the Toledo Blade, [...]

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Published in Canyon Voices: Here but Fading

Tonight, I will attend my very first magazine launch party at ASU-West for their literary magazine Canyon Voices: Journal for Emerging Writers and Artists. A non-fiction essay I wrote entitled “Here but Fading” made the cut for their spring 2012 edition. Although this may have been the hardest essay I’ve ever written, they’ve asked me [...]

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Kenny G Can Blow Me

For my Personal and Exploratory Writing class at Glendale Community College, we were recently given an assignment: write a family narrative from the perspective of someone else. Although my family is full of stories, it was hard to think of one that was just right. Then, thanks to my parents’ suggestion, I was reminded of [...]

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An H and Five Ws with Yoga Bitch Author Suzanne Morrison

I randomly heard about Suzanne Morrison via an email from a writers’ group buddy. Suzanne’s new book trailer was featured on “Funny or Die.” As soon as I saw the trailer for Yoga Bitch, I decided Suzanne was FUNNY and that I had to read her book. Being the yoga enthusiast and writer that I [...]

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I Quit

You’ve seen Wonderboys, right? Michael Douglas plays a writer who hasn’t been published in years. Throughout these years of non-publication, however, he is writing. He’s writing a magnum opus that ends up getting blown away into a river, thanks to Robert Downey Jr. Once the monstrous manuscript is gone, Douglas is asked what his book [...]

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Read a Banned Book Today

Banned Books Week is September 24th through October 1st this year. Every year I make note of this, because to me, censorship is one of the world’s major evils—especially in regards to literature. During the last week of September every year, libraries and bookstores around the US draw attention to the problem of censorship by [...]

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Wedding Music: Good, Bad, Ugly

There is bad wedding music out there. “Celebration.” “We Are Family.” Anything by Nickelback. I could go on, but I won’t. Because we’ve all been there. We all recognize bad wedding music, and yet, it happens again and again. So the question remains: how do you avoid bad wedding music at your reception? This is [...]

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Snooki Has a Second Book Deal. What the …?

I am highly disillusioned today, and it’s not only because Phoenix has 31% humidity. Nay, I am disillusioned because the over-baked Jersey Shore dumb-ass we call “Snooki” has now signed her second book deal, and I can’t stop dry-heaving. I’m sorry; do I sound angry? Well, that’s because I AM ANGRY. I’m like the hulk [...]

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Why Do You Want to Be a Writer?

Last night, I attended my monthly critique group. We were set to discuss segment five of my over 300-page novel, currently a work-in-progress. The girls didn’t like segment five. They said my writing was sub-par, and some of the character behaviors didn’t make sense. This is a good critique group, who often says interesting, illuminating [...]

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Censoring Mark Twain, or the Dumbing Down of American History

While awaiting the arrival of a dear friend to happy hour last night, my mother called. She said, “Your father and I are having strokes,” to which I replied, “Come again?” She continued by explaining what they’d just witnessed on the news. (Before I continue, I need you to understand, I have not watched the [...]

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