(Help a writer out here) I’ve written before about how much I like writing contests. They can provide challenge, inspiration, and, if you win or get a mention, a big whacking shot of confidence — something every writer except possibly James Patterson could use more of. Some contests have themes. Some have words or first…

Bill Gates, come on down Bill Gates is giving away his money On a recent Twitter thread, he announced that he’s giving another $20 billion —yes, that’s billion with a “b” — to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Bill and Melinda are no longer a thing, marriage-wise, but they continue to co-chair their foundation.…

I’m interviewed on a podcast! I’ve hyped Crow’s Feet previously One, because I think its positive, honest, anti-ageism theme is important — and two, because I’m one of its producers. And in this episode, I’m the guest interviewee! Warren Turner, another member of the Crows Feet team who is both a skilled writer and a…

3 lessons from my denim jacket I’ve had this jacket for over 35 years In clothing years, that makes my denim jacket a bona fide elder. But it would be wrong to call it a vintage jacket. It’s not some quaint item from a bygone era that gets trotted out and worn for nostalgia or…

Existential adventures in standby I’m the person who boards your flight last Or, close to last. Not because I overslept or missed a connection from another airline or I couldn’t find the right gate. I’m what the airlines refer to as “non-rev” or “space available” or, in civilian parlance, a standby passenger. It’s a perk…

I’m grieving — for my country I’ve felt this, on and off, since 2016 There were intimations of it even long before that; waves of disquiet and dread during the second Bush administration as it used the national tragedy of 9/11 as an excuse to plunge us into a baseless war for oil in Iraq.…

I’m proud to be part of a new podcast I thought I had enough on my plate, but then . . . Crow’s Feet: Life As We Age is a publication on the Medium.com platform, and it’s one I began contributing to last year. I was drawn to it because of its focus — aging,…

It’s lovely, but can I trust it? I know better than to believe what I see I write this as I’m sitting on the patio of our corner lot, gazing out at the linden trees and honey locusts that reach from opposite edges of the street to touch their leafy tips, shading the sidewalks. Neighbors…

Seriously, this is happening Lots of schools have switched mascots Since the early 1970s, as American institutions of higher learning have recognized the insensitive and downright racist nature of their mascots — which so often denigrated Native Americans — they have ditched those symbols in favor of more benign ones. Marquett University commendably abandoned its…