11 Books on my Bookshelf — In October 2022, the 12th George Saunders book was published, a collection of exhilerating short stories titled Liberation Day. If you’re not familiar with George Saunders, arguably the best short story writer in America today, take a look at this brief introduction to his work. For a career as high-flying…

In which I invite you to participate in internet chat with me — I’ve completed my memoir: “My Own Private Waste Land.” It’s a train wreck of a story through a decade of dysfunction. I’ll cut to the chase and let you know the ending: I survived. I’m lucky to be here and alive, telling my story. I discuss my memoir at my…

Master these skills to achieve success in online classes — Today, the opportunity to take online college classes is greater than ever before. Whether you are fulfilling basic requirements in preparation for more advanced work in a 4-year college or seeking a degree fully online, learning online successfully takes specific skills and temperament. In an almost 25 year college teaching…

A substack community about short fiction, writing, and kindness — Newsletters are a thing. Writing about writing is a thing. Writing about writing and writing newsletters about writing on Medium is a thing. Most new writers on Medium don’t really want to learn how to write. They want to learn how to make money writing by blogging. And there are…

Don’t sweat it, and absolutely don’t be a punc-snob! — My life is lived among language nerds — writers, editors, English teachers, people who love language and the written word. But lately I’ve become testy with dictatorial, petty, prescriptive purveyors of punctuation policy. That’s right: the punctuation police. …