Before I was a librarian (by which I mean from the time I was about 3), I read a lot. As a baby journalist in the early 1990s, I started reviewing books and discovered the fun and wonder of sometimes getting paid to read. Which didn't stop me from continuing to do it for free. … Continue reading Recent reading adventures: A “Some-ary”
Category: journalism
I am a lucky person. On weekday mornings, my alarm clock is Sweetheart coming through the bedroom door and handing me a cup of hot coffee. The ritual dates back to the early days of our relationship. Since January 20, there's been a new component. He hands me coffee. My line after "Thank you" is: "What fresh … Continue reading American ‘Greatness’ in action: Best celebrity gossip site & worst quiz ever
In summer of 2008, I took an Ethics of Information class. Our final project was a paper on the topic of our choice. I wanted to look at what I saw as the New Third World - the way on-line information about us could and was possibly already being used to exploit us, make our … Continue reading ‘Big Brother meets the digital Third World’ or ‘I wrote a paper in 2008. Check it out.’
Fifty days ago, I made an election display at the library. There’s so much crazy flying around and libraries are supposed to be safe havens. I wanted my display to do two things: Provide a way to give people access to digestible and genuine information about the candidates. Remind us all that at least this … Continue reading One display, one playlist, one eighth-grade groper & one heart-to-heart across voting lines: a 2016 presidential election word buffet
So, it’s been a few months. I could make up a whole raft of reasons for the radio silence, but the truth is job-related. Last July, I was laid off from the job I loved, and not long after my last post in February, there were signs of a happy ending/soft landing. In a fit of … Continue reading Love, loss, hope and backup plans: Making now count
Once upon a time in another life, I was a music journalist. I started out doing it because I love music and it gave me the opportunity to interview (and in some cases even meet) artists I’d long admired. It also, at a point when I was dirt poor, helped me feed my music habit. … Continue reading Nuggets from my life as a music journalist, featuring Mark Lindsay and the woman formerly known as Bruce Jenner
It’s been a terrible week for the news business. Brian Williams has been handed a suspension without pay for six months, or as I’m calling it, “book leave.” Jon Stewart is leaving The Daily Show to have dinner with his kids. And Bob Simon, whose latest stop in a distinguished career was 60 Minutes, was … Continue reading Newsmakers make news, religious fanatics make trouble and Mom’s community hosts a Debbie Friedman event with a millennial twist
Today is all about taste - good and bad. First, the bad. That would be Brian Williams. It wasn't enough for Brian to be a tall, handsome, white, rich and hugely successful anchorman at NBC News. He had to lie about being in a helicopter that was shot down in Iraq so he could also appear to … Continue reading I’d rather eat homework than words: a shoutout to the culinary arts and a little Brian Williams rant
So, it’s been a slightly dismal week here in Flyover Country. That bitter cold that used to live north of us and comes to visit more often is in town and I am unsuccessfully fighting off some sort of winter sinus-related pestilence. Also, my favorite clothing store is going out of business. And of course, there's France. … Continue reading Why France, journalists and the Iliad will always have a place in my kitchen
the sentence factory 