Professor Carol
“When you read to us, grandma, it’s better than a movie.” No, I didn’t plant those words in my 10-year-old granddaughter’s mouth! She really said them. And that makes me smile broadly as I sit here in the Newark airport, filling part of a four-hour … Read more
I am of two minds on this topic. On the one hand, the idea of clearing airport security, turning towards the gates, and finding a kiosk along the wall dispensing free stories is simply spectacular! Printed on strips of paper reminiscent of CVS receipts, the … Read more
If you are of a certain age, you heard much about D-Day growing up. If you are my husband Hank, you share your birthday of June 6 with the date of D-Day, once a coincidence that people readily commented upon. This year, the 80th anniversary … Read more
Charlie makes me laugh. At age eight, my grandson displays a gift that children have of saying funny things, particularly when their words stem from a sincere confusions of ideas. He also has developed a knack for spotting and remembering the physical location of things. … Read more
It’s easy to learn a language when your feet are on the ground. For the first time in many visits to Croatia, my hit-and-miss efforts to grasp the language are bearing fruit. Croatian has just enough similarities to Russian to have tripped me up in … Read more
Inwardly, quietly, I jump up and down when our group walks out of the Milenij Hotel into the bright sunshine. We are beginning our initial walking tour of Opatija, a literal coastal paradise more gorgeous than any brochure photo could ever be. To enter into … Read more
That’s pretty much my life right now: irises and essays. Writing, writing, writing. Gazing out at the explosions of spring. And a lot of packing and unpacking. Spring 2024 is a swirl of commitments–a whirlwind I got myself into. Everything seemed “doable” when it was … Read more
Standing with a dozen others outside the main administration building, Cooke Hall, on the campus of Highlands Latin School, I watched as swaths of thick clouds chugged past, as if daring us earthlings to catch a glimpse of the eclipse. Before us, out on the … Read more
There’s going to be a party in Dallas this Saturday night—one of those festivities where a person’s life achievements are toasted and honored. It pains me not to be present, but no way exists for me to fly from an afternoon talk in Cincinnati to … Read more
