Safety First
“Whatever I put first will last.” –Gretchen Rubin
June is National Pet Preparedness Month, so in the spirit of keeping your beloved animals safe should the unexpected occur, I’d like to share with you the template I use for my emergency pet information. Feel free to make a copy and fill it out for your own furry, feathered, or scaled family members.
What I’m Working On
My Manuscript: The Good Curse
Currently, with the help of a couple beta readers and trusted writing friends, I’m digesting some feedback I received from a small press, parsing out what revisions I might make.
By the end of the month, the winning manuscript of the James River Writers Unpublished Novel Contest will be announced. I really hope it’s The Good Curse, but we shall see. In the meantime, it’s nice to hold out hope.
Outdoor Writing
My latest article, “Scaling Back the Fear Factor: A reptile museum in Gum Spring, Va., helps visitors warm up to cold-blooded creatures,” appears in the Explore More column of the June issue of Cooperative Living Magazine. My next piece will find me in a chestnut grove out towards the western part of Virginia in a couple weeks, traipsing around in the woods with some arborists and scientists to learn about preserving Virginia’s chestnut trees.
Westminster Canterbury: The Personal Essay, presented by James River Writers
This afternoon my first of five sessions of a writing workshop focused on the personal essay took place. The course was so popular, there’s a waiting list! I really enjoyed meeting the participants, writing with them, and hearing them share what they produced just in today’s first 90 minutes. I’m looking forward to next week’s session.
Wild Senses: A Mindful Creative Writing Workshop
Registration is open for the next Wild Senses workshop, which will focus on the sense of smell and feature co-hosts Frick and Frack, two adorable (de-scented) skunks. This workshop will take place on June 27. We’ll write with pigeons on August 1 and a fox on October 3. Keep a lookout for registration for these one-of-a-kind wildlife writing experiences.
Mind the Dog: A Writer’s Best Friend: Nurturing Your Relationship with Your Dogs through Writing
In this playful, dog-friendly writing workshop scheduled to take place at Book People, we will explore how we relate to our dogs, examine how our dogs relate to the world, and enhance our relationship with our dogs through creative writing. Dogs are welcome to attend each session of this dog-centric writing workshop, which will take place on two Saturday evenings, July 11 and 25, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Registration is $60/person (dogs are free). If all goes well, an extended, five-week version of the workshop should take place this fall.
Writing Community
On May 31, I participated in a Zoom discussion of The New Sentience, an anthology of poetry reimagining how to write about animals. The discussion centered on a few poems from the book, why the way we write about animals matters, and how to use poetry as advocacy. It was thoughtful, tender, enlightening, and engaging. The people in that Zoom were definitely my kind of people. It’s nice to know they’re out there.
What I’m Reading
Currently, I’m reading David Poyer’s Writing in the Age of AI: What you Need to Know to Survive and Thrive.
Teacher Life
On May 29, I wrapped up year 20 of my teaching career. That same day, while I was crossing the street between my school’s two buildings, a man walking his dogs nearby asked me what grade I was in. Two decades in the profession and I’m still being mistaken for a student. It hasn’t happened in a while. Since 2016, to be exact. I’ll take it. I think he must have been legally blind or maybe the sun was in his eyes. But I’ll take it. Fifth-year-teacher me would have been insulted. Twenty-year-teacher me is glowing.
Links to My Latest
Archie and The Littles
Beards blowing in the spring breeze, the Littles gleefully romp through the field a few blocks from our house.
Nacho snuggles amongst blankets and toys.
Soda enjoys the sunshine from the patio trampoline.
Archie looks up at me from his bubble backpack on one of his first walks with The Littles and me in almost a year.
Archie, still wet from the shower and with a bit of cauliflower on his beak, snuggles against my cheek.
What I Saw Outside
Fleabane grows along the sidewalk.
A squirrel savors a nut.
A butterfly rests on a leaf in the sun.
An infinitesimal bird’s nest—perhaps a hummingbirds’ or a blue-gray gnatcatcher’s, fallen from a nearby tree, came to rest on the gravel trail.
Literary Calendar
June
Wild Senses: A Mindful Creative Writing Workshop
June 27, 2026 | 10 a.m.-12 p.m. | Possumbilities, Fredericksburg, VA
This third class will focus on the sense of smell and feature skunk co-hosts Frick and Frack from Awesome Possumz, with future workshops featuring each of the remaining two senses. Registration is $30, plus an item for the rescue.
July
Mind the Dog: A Writer’s Best Friend: Nurturing Your Relationship with Your Dogs through Writing
July 11 & 25, 2026 | 7 p.m.-9 p.m. | Book People, Henrico, VA
In this playful, dog-friendly writing workshop we will explore how we relate to our dogs, examine how our dogs relate to the world, and enhance our relationship with our dogs through creative writing. Dogs are welcome to attend each session of this dog-centric writing workshop. Registration is $60.
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