Several years ago, before much of anything was happening in my writing career, I learned that a writer I’d been loosely connected to years ago had landed a book deal. As this news sank in, so did a feeling of dread. At first I wasn’t even conscious of how terrible I felt, maybe because I [...]

One of my best friends is brilliant and creative and artsy. Her life is also extremely busy — she works full-time in a demanding field and also recently returned to school to earn her MBA. In addition to all this, she’s making time for her art, too. A few weeks ago, she sent me the [...]

Last night, I met my writing buddies at Caribou, the coffee shop that served as our main writing and meeting spot for years. We were there for the grand send off: Last night was this location’s final hours of business. As of today, its doors are closed for good. For years, whether in the heat [...]

With a craft beer in hand at the Market Garden Brewery’s Brews + Prose reading series on Tuesday night, I joined a sizable crowd to hear some beautifully written essays and poetry about my adopted city and its residents. Then I read my own essay, signed some copies of the anthology, and posed for photos [...]

I had a dream about of a friend and her book. She’s been working on this manuscript for years, and it’s gone through several rather significant overhauls. It’s a wonderful book, compelling with a sharp, funny voice, but it also touches on some pretty heavy themes. She’s definitely on my list of People to Be [...]

It’s official: My writing buddy Huda is a funny woman. Her piece, “Delusions of Grandeur,” is in The Rumpus Funny Women column. Here’s a short excerpt: “We got married that weekend in a simple affair on the same beach where we’d met. It was just the two of us promising our lives to one another [...]

Last night I was on my way out the door to meet my writing buddies when UPS delivered a package from my publisher. Inside, I found this: My gold IPPY medal for Living Arrangements. I had never seen an IPPY medal in person and assumed they were tiny, like the kind you could sew on [...]

I saw Anne Lamott a few weeks ago as part of the Cleveland Public Library Foundation’s Writers Center Stage series. I decided to get a little wild and crazy and not take notes like I usually do and instead just enjoy myself. While this might have been a good step in the “let’s relax for [...]

I had a friend in college who once told me that unless she was studying, she didn’t like to be alone. If she did end up by herself, she had to turn to the TV on. She dreaded being alone with her own thoughts. This conversation both bewildered and horrified me – being alone with [...]

The new anthology Love, InshAllah: The Secret Love Lives of American Muslim Women contains 25 essays about love, relationships, and faith from American Muslim women — including the essay “Otherwise Engaged” by my friend and fellow Cleveland writer Huda Al-Marashi. I’m so proud of Huda for being a part of this beautiful anthology, which will [...]