Authors You Love to Hate?

All the recent publicity about W.W. Norton’s decision to stop distributing and publicizing Blake Bailey’s biography of Philip Roth because of accusations of his inappropriate behavior with women, including underage students when he was a teacher, has made me begin thinking about what turned me against the author at the top of my love toContinue reading “Authors You Love to Hate?”

Z is for Ten in Zambia

HIV/AIDS continues to lead the list of the top ten causes of death in Zambia. This post is one in a series of short posts including the number 10 in the first sentence, a requirement of the San Diego Writers and Editors Guild anthology submission in 2021. Image credit: Photo of AIDS in Africa posterContinue reading “Z is for Ten in Zambia”

Y is for Ten in Yemen

In Yemen, a child under the age of five dies of preventable causes every ten minutes. It wasn’t always so, and it doesn’t need to be so. It’s one of the biggest challenges in the Middle East. For more information about children in Yemen from the time I spent there, see this post on anContinue reading “Y is for Ten in Yemen”

Holidays Around the World: International Workers Day

I wouldn’t be surprised if most readers think of May Day as either a day to leave a basket full of flowers and treats on the doorstep of someone special or as a day of military parades down the wide streets of Moscow. It is both of those things. But those military parades in countriesContinue reading “Holidays Around the World: International Workers Day”

X is for Ten in Xi’an

The Silk Road, a ten-thousand-mile network of roads spanning the four thousand miles between China with the west starting from the then-capital Xi’an, China, began used in 130 BC when China opened trade with the west. When the Chinese government hired Sven Hedin to create a road linking China with the province of Xinjiang, theContinue reading “X is for Ten in Xi’an”

W is for Ten in Washington

One out of ten residents of the metropolitan Washington region is food insecure, according to the Capital Area Food Bank. Nearly one-third of them are children. This post is one in a series of short posts including the number 10 in the first sentence, a requirement of the San Diego Writers and Editors Guild anthologyContinue reading “W is for Ten in Washington”

V is for Ten in Virginia

Since I had an address in Virginia for nearly twenty years, you’d think I would have visited the top ten destinations in that state. I’ve only been to two: Mount Vernon and the Luray Caverns. This post is one in a series of short posts including the number 10 in the first sentence, a requirementContinue reading “V is for Ten in Virginia”

U is for Ten in Union City, NJ

The ten weeks I spent in Union City, New Jersey, during the summer between my sophomore and junior college years changed my life forever. On my return, I changed my major and broke off my engagement, determined that I had found a way to escape my midwestern background forever. This post is one in aContinue reading “U is for Ten in Union City, NJ”

T is for Twin Brothers

When I was ten, my twin brothers arrived a month earlier than Mom expected. My parents had planned for five children. That unexpected sixth arrival meant we were going to have to move into a bigger house. I wanted no part of it. My dad found an ingenious solution. This post is one in aContinue reading “T is for Twin Brothers”