This month, the Mills College administration announced it’s pulling the plug on this historic college, my 2nd alma mater, in favor of an Institute for Women’s Leadership. Just as in the 1990 student strike, students and alumnae are going, “whaaa?” and “hells no!” They are asking for ideas from the community to envision and shape […]
Gung Hay Fat Choy! It’s always year of the Pig at our house. www.littlepig.com is where my creative family publishes operas and stuff. (Mostly stuff.) Those on our Christmas Card list get treated to a handcrafted original each year, some of which are available on Zazzle, where the bestseller is “Sky Uterus,” a sympathy card […]
As if in celebration of my “twin sister” Jenny and I finally taking our trip together, Italy mirrored our joy with a symphony of doubles. And sometimes triples. And an infinite number of memorable moments in the two weeks we were together. I’ll start with the Davides. Dah-vee-day. A Davide I met on my last […]
Re-posted from ACEs Connection & ACES Too High… “Don’t ask ‘what’s wrong with you.’ Ask, ‘what happened to you.’” I watched the Oprah segment with my mother, Dr. Louise Hart, who heard Dr. Vincent Felitti speak about the CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences Study ten years ago. At that time, she asked him, “What is being done […]
In the past year, life provided me with a very special honor: to return a great soul to the world. Let me introduce you to Joe. When I was growing up, my parents would open our home to strangers and friends who enriched our lives. One of these was Joe Wions, a New Jersey kid out of […]
In preparation for Hillary Clinton’s landslide win on election day, I choreographed “I Am Woman“ by Helen Reddy for my Zumba class. In searching for this feminist anthem on iTunes, I flashed back to my first rock concert (with my divorced-and-discovering-her-power mom), and then stumbled on this generation’s version. When you compare the lyrics to Jordin Sparks’ (yes, highly dance-able) “empowering female […]
The Lake I Love. When I saw the call for submissions for the first annual Aluminous Flash Mob Short Play Festival, I knew I had to write about the Pergola at Lake Merritt. How many circles have I made around that lake in all my years in Oakland? With friends, with family, alone? I walked it in […]
In my novel, The Souls of Her Feet, the downtrodden protagonist’s life changes, as in every Cinderella story, when a Fairy Godmother appears in her life. But in this version, the “godmother” is also her real-life, legitimate godfather — the former best friend of her deceased parents. I chose to make this traditionally female character […]
So, even the great Socrates was into fitness. He said, “No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.” I’m not sure the guy thought much about […]
As my son wraps up his first 13 years of Public School Education, I am wrapping up my own 13-year career as a parent volunteer and, as it turned out, leader. I never expected, when we chose a school for Kindergarten, how much activism would be required. We entered the system at a time it was falling […]
Some of the most inspiring efforts to stand up against bullying are sartorial. It’s Bully Prevention Month — what are you wearing? Blue fingernails, pink shirts, guys in skirts—these have all been movements to stand up to bullying. Read more about it at Upstanders Stand Up in Style: Guest Post by Kristen Caven | OverDressed for […]
