Photo by Mark Paton from Unsplash Productivity Can Be Over-Rated We’ve all become so geared toward doing more, achieving more, producing more that we forget to be honest with ourselves about what we really need, especially if what we need has changed. It wasn’t that long ago that productivity was all the rage. Everyone declared … Continue reading Living the Writing Life: Being Honest About What You Need
Inspiration
An Artist Date: The Van Gogh Immersive Experience
It's Important To Take Yourself on Artist's Dates Since reading The Artist's Way I have made a point of having artist's dates. According to Julia Cameron's website, "The Artist Date is a once-weekly, festive, solo expedition to explore something that interests you...Artist Dates fire up the imagination. They spark whimsy. They encourage play. Since art … Continue reading An Artist Date: The Van Gogh Immersive Experience
Four Summer Book Recommendations Beyond Beach Reads
Summer Reading Beyond Beach Reads Since summers in Las Vegas are so hot, it’s a great time to stay inside and read. I saw a funny tweet from Random House the other day that said, "The CDC says fully vaccinated people can still cancel plans to stay home and read." Good thing! I’ll be spending … Continue reading Four Summer Book Recommendations Beyond Beach Reads
What Did They Eat in Biblical Jerusalem?
I Should Have Been a Food Historian I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it many more times, I’m sure—I think I missed my calling in this life. I should have been a food historian. One of my favorite parts of writing historical fiction is researching the foods they ate during whatever historical period I’m … Continue reading What Did They Eat in Biblical Jerusalem?
Who Was the Woman of Stones?
For a while, I justified my lack of productivity during these odd times by saying that nearly every writer I know has said that he or she has been having trouble concentrating. I decided that well, things are just too weird right now and it's interfering with the creative process. Then I read that Zadie … Continue reading Who Was the Woman of Stones?
What It’s Like Being an Introvert With Hearing Loss
I know this is a different topic than I usually write about here, but I wanted to share an article I wrote for the fabulous website Introvert, Dear. Introvert, Dear has been one of my favorite websites for years, and I'm honored that they allowed me some space to share my particular conundrum--being an introvert … Continue reading What It’s Like Being an Introvert With Hearing Loss
What I’m Reading: History and Self-Discovery
Here's a bit of what I've been reading lately. Bad Feminist I've heard much about Roxane Gay, mainly because, like me, she's an academic who writes for a more general population. Bad Feminist is the first book I've read from Gay, and I'm glad I finally took the plunge. According to Gay's definition, I would … Continue reading What I’m Reading: History and Self-Discovery
How to Live Like a Poet According to Jack Kerouac
Researching and Writing During a Busy Term I can verify that life as a PhD candidate is a lot of work. There are times when, after long days of researching, writing, and teaching courses at my university, I feel as if I'm lacking even one viable brain cell. I can walk into the supermarket for … Continue reading How to Live Like a Poet According to Jack Kerouac