It turns out that April is both poetry appreciation month and sexual assault awareness month. This conjunction made me think of a Barbara Kingsolver poem that maps reflections about sexual assault onto a description of the aftermath of a burglary… Read more

So today is tax day. You’re stressed out because you’re still trying to get them done and H&R Block’s online tax friend keeps crashing on you. Or you’ve sent them in–along with all that money you didn’t know you owed … Read more

While we go about our business, life is still very broken for many in Japan. The Kidlit4Japan auction is the product of many authors teaming up to offer signed books and services for auction to raise money (UNICEF receives all … Read more

I do certain things hoping that they will make the world a little better, or at least… less bad. But I also worry a lot. For example: if it takes a lot of water for me to wash a peanut … Read more

Dying sucks. And saying, “dying sucks” is a way of trivializing my terror. Because I am really, really afraid of dying. Also, I would prefer for all my loved ones to continue to live. I recognize that this goes against … Read more

Q: How do you eat an elephant?

A: One bite at a time?

Okay, so I chose a cartoon elephant for my post image because, obviously, none of us are actually interested in eating elephants. I mean, come on–tough gray … Read more

Check out this exquisite photograph I took in a Cambodian temple. Oh, wait. I didn’t actually take it. That was just a fantasy I had while stalking Austin-based photographer Trey Ratcliff on flickr.com (check out his award-winning blog, Stuck in Customs… Read more

By now I’ve probably said this in a dozen different places, but here goes again: I wrote What Can’t Wait for my students in Houston. Last weekend, they came out in full force for my booksigning. They rocked my world … Read more

A while back I promised that I would explain the following (completely true) statement: I once fantasized about living in a trailer. Actually, this statement has been true at a number of points in my life.

When I was a kid, … Read more

Yay, yay! It’s a book! And a party! Come on out Saturday, March 26, from 7-10 p.m. at Boxcar Books in Bloomington, Indiana, for a book signing and celebration of What Can’t Wait‘s publication. Delicious vittles will be provided … Read more