By Madeline Phoenix There was a grand rainstorm today; it caused the power lines on our road to collapse, due to the colossal impact of a withered old oak tree. For almost four hours, we were bereft of technology’s ‘affectionate’ …
Nanotechnology: An Examination of Hopelessness, Ray Bradbury-Style Read more »
Confusion reigns. I glance into the bottom of my mug and swirl the chamomile tea around. I ignore the brown spots on the bottom. They’re from a basil plant that occupied the cheap white mug with the light blue dots …
Confusion Reigns: Driving and Talking about Everything Read more »
After the tough go-round with the last two agents, we talked for at least an hour. I called my mom, Maddie’s biggest fan, and tried to get ahold of my husband, who got back to me after we left the …
Pitching to Agents Part 3: Turning Negative into Positive Read more »
As I wrote last week, Maddie and I attended a writing conference where we pitched our books to ten agents. I thought long and hard about how much to share about our personal life, as well as the conference we …
Pitching to Agents, The Throat Punching Aspects, Part 2 Read more »
Madeline and I attended a Writer’s Workshop in Minneapolis this weekend and it was probably the most momentous, exhausting, oddly wonderful two days we will spend in quite some time. We’re back home now, settled back into the routine of …
Pitching Agents: Throat Punches and Better Endings, Part 1 Read more »
Ice glistened on the slabs that rose out of the front yard. The driveway was wet but not slippery because we put salt down in the afternoon, but we couldn’t salt the rocks, so they bore the marks of the …
Two years ago and two months, I moved with my three children to Front Royal, Virginia. For you Jersey natives who go by exits, that’s exit 13 off Route 66, which runs from DC all the way to its end …
Yesterday, my fiancé and I were shopping at Wal-Mart and sure enough, after about an hour, my phone blinged with three quick text messages. I knew without looking that it was my daughter, because I’ve set my iPhone to announce …
What would happen if China or Korea or Russia or Mexico sent drones in to drop bombs on Chicago? Imagine for a moment the scenario. Let’s say Mexico had the influence and power, the chutzpah and the arrogance, to argue …
Where are we and what are we doing? I awoke to this question, inchoate, unformed, and after a brief moment of reflection, elucidated in the early morning fog of my dream world. I was stuck in a recurring dream I …