Thank goodness for the Wendig Challenges that keep me writing. My random elements: A time travel romance, a vampire’s subterranean lair, and a dream. Jigging I met Michael several months ago in a vivid blue dream set in my favorite adobe villa outside of Tucson. He joined me as I enjoyed a glass of wine more »

Another Wendig Challenge short, in which I fabricate a future travel story. Recreating a Grandmother’s Journey Jacked up on adrenaline and nostalgia, two women set out to retrace their grandmothers’ 1983-era road trip, sans all the comforts of the 21st century. As I pull on a thick rubber boot, Eva, my traveling companion, says to more »

I’m preparing to speak at the TEDxABQED conference in January, something that has me bouncing like Tigger on his tail from the heights of excitement to the depths of anxiety. The TEDx process is a colossal creative endeavor. I attend the meetings-slash-workshops-slash-rehearsals and walk away each time humbled and energized by the people who work more »

My classmates recently gathered (without me) for our high school reunion. Seeing the flurry of activity on Facebook gave rise to reminiscing about my early education. Frankly, I don’t remember much. Granted, I’ve been out of school much longer than I ever spent in classes, but casting back over the memories, I realize that while more »

So, these next few posts will be a joint venture between The Shaeman and Denise Hinson. We’ve been collaborating on a Sekrit Projekt that we will be unveiling over the next few months; however, we would like to give you a little glimpse into what we’ve been cooking up during this period when we’ve been more »

A couple of days ago as I was headed north on 4th street on my way to work, a bird landed on the road. He was…well, nondescript. Black. Bigger than a sparrow. Smaller than a breadbox. I noticed him because he landed in the middle of the road, out of the way of traffic. He more »

The last three cards are finished. Tomorrow they will go in the mail to be returned to the Hispanic Cultural Center, and in a few weeks I will receive ten other cards from other artists. What a great project! I’m sad to see it end.

Ok, so I haven’t done a really good job posting every day for the 40 Days of Blogging. BUT, I have been creative. Every single most of those days. A lot of the creativity comes in the form of the Tete-a-Tete cards I’m working on:                   But more »

I recently had a great conversation with Shae Cottar, one of my favorite people on the web. Today he posted that conversation on his website, The Shaeman. Take a listen, tell me what your thoughts are: The Feminine Tragic Hero

Not doing such a good job doing a blog a day, but I am busy creating. I’m currently participating in Tete-a-Tete Trading Cards, part of Women and Creativity 2012. Here’s my first, which likely will not make it into the final pile:

Today was a brilliant day in Albuquerque. About 65 degrees, nothing but sun, slight breeze. I took advantage of it to go the Alameda Open Space, which is near my apartment. I wasn’t alone—it was a challenge to find parking, but I did and joined the multitudes as they skated/biked/ran/walked while pushing baby strollers, reluctant more »

For today’s fare, I include a poem by Mary Oliver. This is for a dear friend who really, really needs to listen to what Oliver has to say. Wild Geese You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You more »

Life has its moments Now and then When I am A fish out of water Under fire Asking “Why am I here?” Then I begin To make my Way through A battered landscape An excursion Out of my comfort zone Towards Sanctuary A time of darkness illuminated Grace F...

My daughter Savannah is one of the most brilliant minds I know, and I find myself most days struggling just to keep up with her thinking. Most of our conversations take place via text messaging, which just accentuates the challenge. Come with me, if ...

I am beginning 2012 with a new look for the blog. After trying out countless themes for the past three days, I find I like the whimsical feel to this one. Playful, like doodling during a staff meeting. I have streamlined the pages to reflect my focus ...

Another Wendig challenge– this one involves choosing a picture from Buzz Feed’s “50 Unexplainable Black and White Photos.” These range from hilarious to a bit on the scary side, but the minute I saw this one: the opening line fo...

It’s time for another Wendig challenge. This one involves a title using alliteration and a story to go along with it, under 1000 words. I woke up one night last week with the first line in my head, so it’s nice to actually do something with...

Winter has arrived. And she is beautiful.  

I have bounced this little story around in my head for a week, waiting for a few minutes to write it. It came from a challenge by Chuck Wendig (if you’re a writer and don’t know the force that is Chuck Wendig…well, do something abou...

The weekend is carrying me along in its stream, perhaps faster than I’d like. I have enjoyed two days of downtime, but it’s been far from unproductive. I finally had time to watch my new video Mythic Journeys. This film is a beautiful mix of animat...

Several years ago I had the great joy of hearing Denise Chavez read at San Juan College. Actually, that isn’t what she did at all. In fact, what Ms. Chavez did was perform her book Face of an Angel. She read her characters as the characters, imbuing...

A video I just have to share:

From 2006 The Word is a Loud Thing During a recent Writer’s Marathon, Kathy Smith and I chanced upon San Juan College’s new library. We strolled into the second-floor access past the circulation desk and Chaco Latte, drawn in by the smell of coffee...

I don’t remember having to write that kind of paper in school more than once or twice while I was growing up, but I wouldn’t have dreaded it nearly as much if we’d had the technology we do today!

I realized a few days ago I am out of shape. Yes, yes, I know, put down the donut and go for a walk. But the out of shape issue I’m really talking about concerns my writing. I am suffering from an acute case of lackofwritingdisciplinitis. My mus...

Tomorrow begins the last week of school and my last week in San Juan County. The events of the past few weeks have kept me so busy I haven’t had time to reflect on what it means to leave my childhood home. I have spent the past two weeks in the liter...

  It’s April 14th. In one short month I will be finished with the semester. Graduation will be over, I will be moved out of my office, and ready to rent that big truck to carry my items down to Albuquerque. Tonight, however, I am attempting to s...

Ok, part 2, the video aspect is done. It was a frustrating experience, working with a computer that just can’t handle the programs. I would prefer to use Movie Maker, but it’s defunct on this machine, so I used Jaycut.com. I appreciate that...