March was a wackadoodle month for me. Usually, I think February is the cruelest month (sorry T.S. Eliot) … but this year I think it might have been March. It was a very up and down month for me. Confusing! I’ve had my best and worst writing days. I’ve been busier teaching than every – which is wonderful but also so exhausting. And the weather has been … let’s just say this California girl is ready for some spring weather on the east coast. Continue reading “Goodbye March!”
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Most Popular Posts of 2017
My least favorite thing about January is the snow (which is falling in copious amounts in NYC today). My most favorite thing about January is the ability to reflect on the year that has just passed. Bahhh six years of blogging! If there wasn’t the actual proof on this website, I don’t know if I’d believe it. Thank you to all the people who are still reading and the friends I’ve made on this blog that continue to support my writing journey like whoa. Here are my most read posts of the year: Continue reading “Most Popular Posts of 2017”
My Year Writing Told Through Tweets
My Year Teaching Told Through Tweets
Five Good Things
Hello friends! It’s been a while since I’ve checked in with some good things. There is a lot of pain, chaos, uncertainty, violence, and justified anger permeating these times. From almost weekly news of mass killings to the tidal wive of #metoo revelations of women who’ve experience sexual harassment assault, it’s easy to feel compassion fatigue, overwhelmed, and burned out. These are a few of the things helping me look towards the light and towards hope this fall. None of these make any of the darkness of these times less true. However, all of them make it more bearable for me. Continue reading “Five Good Things”
Goodbye Summer

Thirty Days Until I Turn Thirty
I’ve got thirty days left in my twenties. That means I probably am not going to ever make it onto a 30 under 30 list, or publish a book before thirty, or get married and have *at least* two kids before thirty (lol childhood goals). And I know I’m being facetious. Like those things are definitely not going to happen. Continue reading “Thirty Days Until I Turn Thirty”
Five Good Things
- My summer commuting uptown to teach writing classes is basically over. It’s been hilarious, inspirational, and exhausting. I’ve worked with kids and teens ages seven to eighteen on short stories, novel beginnings, poems, plays, memoir, and essays. I’m constantly in awe of my youngest writers’ totally unselfconscious approach to writing. But especially after a week with all seven-year-old boys (poop jokes and dinosaur stories galore!), I’m ready to get back to college students next week.
- Also … more writing time! I have revisions to write and new stories I can’t wait to draft. I’ve done okay balancing working and writing, but I’m itching to have more time in front of my computer.
- YA Twitter for the win! After the YA Twitter craziness last week (I won’t even go into it), Sona Charaipotra and Zoraida Córdova set the record straight on what’s really going on. Then yesterday book twitter uncovered a very bizarre plot to scam the NYT Bestseller list.
- There is going to be another Pride and Prejudice adaptation. I obviously can’t get enough of these!
- Thirty is right around the corner. I take birthdays hard most of the time. Like I had my first quarter life crisis at age ten. But I’m super pumped to turn thirty and say goodbye to my twenties, and this month I planned a fun trip to celebrate the big birthday.
Beautiful Places

Things Making Me Happy on the Internet This Week (!!!)
Happy Friday, friends! I’m starting to teach summer classes next week, so enjoying my last relatively free days with lots of reading, writing, and a long overdue deep clean of my room. Okay, and lots of browsing through various distractions on the Internet. Here are things making me happy this week.
Lord Buckethead and this amazing correction on the Buzzfeed article.
The surprising watchability of the Comey testimony… what a time to be alive.
My new summer anthem
Seinfeld episodes from the POV of the girlfriends
Julia Fierro’s *important* essay about antidepressants and writing in the New York Times
Team Darren or Team Gabe Quiz for readers of The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo