I’m learning Telugu, the mother-tongue of Anuja’s family, by attending the lectures of Doctor M. This sentence won’t strike you as funny until you learn that Doctor M is my nickname for my nephew, who is just shy of his fifth birthday. One of the reasons I came to India is to see him. And…
Category: Another World Within
“Rape” is Just a Four-Letter Word
I don’t want to talk about about rape today. Or any day. March 21 is World Poetry Day. I love reading poetry. I love writing poetry. And six of my last seven columns have been on intense topics: Consent, “Don’t Say Gay” laws, criminalizing gender affirmation, Nazis, and Ukraine. I could use a break. We…
A Long Week (Sunday Summary)
How is it that every week has the same seven days in it and yet some weeks feel so much longer than others? This is one of those weeks that feels longer, although it’s no more a long week or short week than any other. And as I look a the calendar for the week…
Accent (Caturday Questions)
Little Cat came home from his travels in the big city rocking a Cuban accent. He thinks it sounds sulty but really it sounds annoying. Big Cat started calling him “gringo.” It’s really getting to be too much. How Much is too Much with Accent? What do you think? As a writer, do you use…
Poetry: What is It? (Watch/Listen/Read)
Erika Writes: Recovering from a Wearying Week The word of the week is “weary.” That’s really the only word I can come up with for how I’m feeling right now. I’d like to say a few days of good, solid rest will resolve that, but I don’t really believe it. I’ll do my best to…
Oyster Sauce Gravy Wingettes: Childhood Memories
It should go without much dispute: for many people, our eating preferences came from the kitchen which our moms didn’t let us enter. The kitchen, soaked in lemon yellow sunlight late in the afternoon, or glowing fluorescent white in the evening, speaks magic. Dish after dish of vegetables and meat filled our grumbling stomachs; brought…
Consent: Changing the Conversation
Rape and sexual assault can happen to anyone regardless of gender identity or gender presentation. Likewise, issues of consent can apply to anyone. One of the things that I struggled with as I was writing this is the very binary way in which everything I read and watched during my research fell into an either/or…
Sunday Summary: International Edition
Welcome to our Sunday Summary for the week of 7 March-12 March 2022. We’re more international than usual this week–Adam is visiting Bangalore right now, Erika is still bringing us her stories from the USA. And of course J.D. Saward is writing from Australia. The state of the world hasn’t improved since last week. Among…
Tell me a Story (Caturday Questions)
So. Adam always makes fun of Erika (A.K.A. “Human-Mom”) for having cat-friends who (let’s be real) are total jerks. Every other moment they are perched on her neck. Or under her elbows. Or on her upper-arms. It makes writing a challenge. Kind of like when the physical therapist has you walking with those weights strapped…
Making Room for Simple Joy (Watch/Listen/Read)
In our Watch/Listen/Read this week, Adam and Erika discuss how to find simple joy in difficult times. Favorite books. Favorite songs. Memories of favorite places. And of course their fake viola wars. These things bring joy in times of sorrow and difficulty. Adam Writes: So my eReader broke a few days ago. Thankfully I had…