Reading books is good for us. Audrey Webster, a member of the WNBA-NYC, explains how reading affects our brains.
The Volunteer Gene
Some of us were born with the Volunteer Gene. So, we really can’t help it — when we hear, “I want to make this happen, but I can’t do it alone,” and “this” sounds like a great idea — we’re there! Finding Your People I joined WNBA-DC in the mid-2000s. At the time I was […]
A Terrible Teacher’s Gift
While walking down the hallway of JHS 43 on 127th and Amsterdam, in Harlem, a light-skinned woman pointed at me with the sharp triangle of her chin, and said I’d be lucky if I made it to the end of the school year without getting pregnant. The other woman responded I’d be lucky if I […]
Write to Influence!, Part 2
Congratulations! You now have a solid draft, following the writing strategies from my book Write to Influence! presented in my previous blog post, Write to Influence!, Part 1. Now what? Sculpt it! Imagine a master sculptor facing an eight-foot tall piece of marble. He expertly wields his tools; a magnificent statue results. Your initial draft […]
Write to Influence, Part 1
I open with three truisms: The sun rises and sets. Nothing is certain but death and taxes. And my own invention … Writing is constrained by time and space. Whether writing fact or fiction, the reader’s time and attention are fleeting, measured in seconds. Physical space is also often limited. You must engage and retain […]
Writing in the Face of Grief
In 2009 my husband was windsurfing off the coast of Maui; flexing his well-toned muscles as he perfected his jibes; falling off the board and climbing back on, conquering the force of nature to be one with it. Meanwhile, I, his landlubbing wife, safely planted in the sand, was snapping photos of my seventy-two-year-old daredevil. […]
How to Write Readable Digital Content: The Basics
Most of us interact with digital content daily. Maybe you read the latest Bookwoman newsletter. Maybe you caught up on your favorite author’s blog. Did you do any online shopping? Did you get sucked onto social media for hours, alternating between looking at posts, pictures, and memes and reading articles from your favorite news outlets […]
The New Kid on the Block: Gaining and Retaining New Members
When I was growing up, we moved about every five years. That meant I was always the “new kid on the block” and the new kid in grammar school, junior high, and high school. Always entering a room, a group, an activity filled with people who had known each other for a long time and […]
Just Like February and World AIDS Day
Just Like February is, at its heart, a story of lost innocence. The ’80s have always struck me as a time of profound innocence lost in both the personal and cultural realms. They came in on a high and went out on a where-do-we-go-from-here low. Smack in the middle of the decade, my husband’s friend […]
Holiday Gift Guide: Books!
Even though we may still be recovering from our Thanksgiving food comas, the holiday season has officially begun. Lights, parties, gifts. It’s that time of year again. And what better gift to give this season than a book? New ideas, new worlds, new friends, all at the turn of a page. Below are some suggestions […]