Went to see the movie Logan the other day, and while it is a good movie, for this article I want to focus on a relatively small plot point that resonated with me. It has to do with this aged and frail version of Xavier, and it resonated due to the death of my mother back in October. She was a strong woman. She traveled to Europe from the United States –– alone! –– while in her twenties. This was a brave thing in the fifties. Later, following a failed marriage, she became a si

This post is inspired by a great seminar I attended for Lit-Cleveland given by Laura Grace Weldon –– poet, short story writer, and thinker. Visit her website: https://lauragraceweldon.com So, to get into it. Laura went into how, when we read a good story, we feel "physically there": we feel what the characters feel; we even feel what they are doing. There is a scientific basis for this. Areas of the brain responsible for sensation and physical movement actually light up when

Writing's a solitary activity, right? No, it ain't! Yes, writing involves a lot of alone––splitting time between tapping keys and wiping tears off them (both happy and sad)––but no expertise is ever gained in a vacuum. We all need feedback from people who love the craft––and your wife and your mother and your sister, all kind souls certainly––don't count. A brief aside for props first: This post is inspired by an event with Lit-Cleveland I attended last Tuesday. The theme was