9 Reason I’m Grateful for my Ulcerative Colitis This was a challenging exercise – to find gratitude for something I would prefer to have never encountered. But The Mighty gave me a prod and I managed to come up with reasons to be grateful for ulcerative colitis. Has chronic illness given you anything to be … Read more
The new state law in California renders our local design and environmental laws obsolete when a development is designated By Right. This is a huge gift to developers under the guise of creating affordable housing – which, in my community, is not a big part of the package. I’ve looked at great ugly buildings in … Read more
BAMBOO: We’re big grass, not small tree. Don’t underestimate the strength of a grass – skinny protects from the wind. And we’re most definitely a ‘we.’ Yes, I am an ‘I’ too, which makes for the very best we. Thinner, fatter, older, younger. Always someone to lean on if you fall over. We can take … Read more
Here is a wee poem just out in this lovely publication, the Journal of Expressive Writing. I asked myself, “What does the world need now?” (a theme of this year’s San Diego Writers Festival), and this poem popped out: What Does the World Want from Me? What does it want from you?
CLICK HERE for a recent article published on The Mighty. Dating and intimacy present unique challenges for those with ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and other conditions that entail long periods spent in the bathroom. (And we are not talking about primping in front of the mirror.) My intention is to add some hope … Read more
Winner of San Diego’s Memoir Showcase competition for second consecutive year! I am so excited that an excerpt from my memoir, A Slice of Orange, has won a place in San Diego’s 2020 Memoir Showcase competition. See winners of San Diego’s 2020 Memoir Showcase. “Casablanca Asylum” will be published in the upcoming anthology Shaking the … Read more
Here is a story I wrote in April in honor of my beloved Ron, my spouse caregiver who has held me to earth throughout my journey with anal cancer. It was published today. https://themighty.com/2020/10/cancer-spouse-caregiver-strengthen-bond/
At last the video is available! Here is the link to Tara Sampson’s reading/performance of “The Visit”. This took place at the 2019 Memoir Showcase at the North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach, CA. This extract from my memoir describes my parents’ memorable visit in 1984. They came to see me at … Read more
Creative Souls Meeting: December 13, 2019 The Friday Before Treatment Begins So good to listen to my friends and their struggles. Mine become consuming. That medical treatment vortex is pulling me in deeper as I wade through the to-do list and the treatment protocols, getting ready for the full-time job of patient and being patient … Read more
Cancer Diary 11/30/19 “The not knowing is the worst part.” No. It’s not. Not knowing is a Before. When everything is still as it was. An ordinary arrangement of days when petty lows—a chipped cup—come wrapped in renewal: the sunshiny breakfast. Before highlights the present where I can feel my integrity, my wellness, my forward … Read more