This has been a very odd winter, although as I write, the gusting winds and plummeting air temperatures suggest that we may yet see real winter. My ice fishing article is now published in the January 2012 issue of ODU Magazine. I’m on pages 36-38 of this 74-page magazine. Does that make me a centerfold? [...]

In the English as a Second Language (ESL) world, CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) is the gold standard. I am hoping that this credential and my passport will make it possible for me to earn a living anywhere in the world.

Because the hero of this novel, Mase, has Down Syndrome, much of the magic of this tale is in how this physical manifestation, once thought to be evidence of mental disability, may very well be evidence of an advanced thought process.

Writing exercise: Choose a photo for a writing prompt.

I’m really proud to be included with people I respect and even more delighted to have these last words in Wayne Hall’s Times Herald Record column: “The fact that the animals make it this far is a testament because the odds are very daunting,” says Highland Mills wildlife expert JJ Murphy of www.writerbynature.com. Still, she [...]

The once literal “squirrels of distraction” have become a metaphor for writer’s block for this nature writer.

Mud season inspires this childhood memory.

Sharing interests with a fellow nature writer reveals our shared use of words.

Michael Pollan is both articulate and diplomatic. What he calls “edible foodlike substances,” I call “corporate chemical concoctions.”

I love to play with words, which motivates my 20th Century brain to attempt to follow the ever-changing 21st Century rules. When brain is composting, I often make lists of baffling English words. Years ago I came up with a list of paradoxical words that had opposite meanings. Among my favorites were: Clip –what you [...]