Link: An Abridged History of Rejection
For a slightly longer version of how I ended up with an agent, I wrote a short piece over on my editing blog. Three-word summary: Persistence pays off. The post Link: An Abridged History of Rejection...
View ArticleHooray for a feature spot in this summer’s Oakland Magazine!
I spent most of the weekend hammering out a 1,200-word article about the Oakland Triathlon Club and its efforts to improve beginners’ access to our notoriously expensive sport. (Sometimes I joke that a...
View ArticleMy piece on the Oakland Triathlon Club in Oakland Magazine
My article on how “a new run-bike-swim club wants to popularize an elite sport for everyone” is on shelves today in the East Bay! The post My piece on the Oakland Triathlon Club in Oakland Magazine...
View ArticleThe Year of the High Bar
It was a classic case of “be careful what you wish for,” and probably inevitable. At the end of last year, I wanted a couple of things. I wanted to get back into triathlon shape. I wanted my Arabic to...
View ArticleA reminder to self and others
Orwell died this day in 1950. Here’s Knopf’s form rejection of a “stupid and pointless fable” called Animal Farm: Likewise, in a spirit of defiant optimism, I’m calling this year Project 2015. It’s...
View ArticleProject 2015 Is Underway
I mentioned earlier that I’m giving this year the big, open-ended, grandiose designation of Project 2015. Mainly, it’s a reminder to me that every day is what you make of it, good or bad. You can pay...
View ArticleFrom Helmet Head to Helmut Lang
At 9:15 a.m. on Sunday morning, I was swinging my bike around into a light headwind on Highway 1. Despite a fog of condensation across my time trial helmet’s visor, I sighted the next woman in my age...
View ArticleProgress by Retreat: Three Kinds of Writing Success
This month, I’m looking forward to spending five days in the Santa Cruz mountains at the Northern California Writers Retreat, an annual gathering of authors. The workshops will be led by an agent, a...
View ArticleMFA, baby!!
I'm thrilled to announce that I have been accepted into Warren Wilson College's low-residency MFA program and will begin classes this summer. The program is four semesters, and I will continue to run...
View ArticleBook review: “Running” by Cara Hoffman
Running by Cara Hoffman My rating: 5 of 5 stars If you aren’t reading Cara Hoffman’s fiction right now, you’re missing out on some important writing. Her vision is demanding. She writes about broken...
View ArticleHow MFA Writing Is and Isn’t Changing My Editing Style
I’ve had an unusual career progression. When my undergraduate classmates were either collecting their degrees to head straight into MFA writing programs or moving to New York to break into the...
View ArticleEdLex 2.0
I’m delighted to announce the 2nd edition of THE EDITOR’S LEXICON, a relaunch of my flagship writer’s guide in what will be a series of books aimed at helping writers put editorial feedback to work in...
View Article
