Every time I meet a new group of students, I ask them to tell me about themselves. Where are they from? What have their experiences with English or literature been in the past? And what’s something most people don’t know … Read more

A little while back a mom emailed me because she was worried about the topics her teen daughter was choosing to write about (including incest, violence, and other uncomfy topics). Since then, I’ve gotten a few similar letters, so I … Read more

In Paris, there’s a bakery on every corner offering buttery croissants, but residents are still slim enough to fit into elevators the size of coffins. What do the French know? This is the second of several posts on food and … Read more

Here’s today crazy idea for creativity in a nutshell: deprive yourself of everything interesting and stimulating to force your brain to generate something interesting of its own.

Before you get too amazed or weirded out on me, let me announce … Read more

For those who don’t know, I taught high school in Houston for a number of years. I also ran a Teach For America content team to support new teachers, and I still post regularly on TFA discussion boards for teachers.… Read more

This week I spied on my site using Google analytics. The biggest revelation? Finding out the blog posts that have gotten the most hits, including several with over a 1000. Who are all these people reading my blog? I’d love … Read more

When I was searching for a photo of my black-eyed “P” costume, I stumbled across this poem from a college writing class in 2001. It makes me feel really old to think that this was 10 years ago. Anyway, here … Read more

I know you’ve had a hard time containing your curiosity… so here’s the big reveal… I asked you which of the following was a lie:

1. I once dressed up as a naughty nurse.

2. I once dressed up as … Read more

Here’s to recipes that speak directly to the heart. This cake says to me: childhood, love, comfort, laughter, consistency. Maybe food shouldn’t say those things to me, but when it does, I want to make sure that the cake lives … Read more

Here’s the special, pre-Halloween edition of TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE. 

1. I once dressed up as a naughty nurse.

2. I once dressed up as a black-eyed “P.”

3. I once dressed up as a Transformer.

Truths and deception to be … Read more