Thanks for stopping by! I hope you find something useful or thought-provoking on this site. My newest book is the top book on the left. I'm hoping to get several children's books published next. And wouldn't it be amazing if I could sell one of my four screenplays!? Now you know as much about my dreams as I do. I appreciate your visit--we must be kindred spirits of some sort. Be well!

If you're interested in more information about the books to the left, click on the covers to be taken to a book-selling site (I use several).

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Many, many years they asked Socrates, "When will justice come to Athens?" Socrates replied, "Justice will not come to Athens until those who are not injured are as indignant as those who are."

IDEAS TO REFLECT ON

Reading this month's Street Spirit, I learned such things as:

• In 1973 CEOs made 45 times as much as workers; last year, CEOs made more than 300 times as much.
  
• In 2001, 43% of people receiving food assistance were under age 18.
  
• In families receiving public assistance, 37% had one employed adult; in 9% there were two working adults.
  
• "To propose removing hundreds of thousands of hard-working, low-income people from the food stamp program is anything but compassionate." (David Beckman, Bread for the World)
  

I know this isn't fun reading, but please--if you're already here--take a minute to glance at the ideas below, and see if they don't make sense. If you get a chance, pass them on in your own newsletters, e-mails, or writing.

We must talk about poverty, because people insulated by their own comfort lose sight of it. Dorothy Day (1952), in Robert Ellsberg, ed., By Little and by Little (1983)

We live in the richest country in the world. There's plenty and to spare for no man, woman, or child to be in want. And in addition to this our country was founded on what should have been a great, true principle--the freedom, equality, and rights of each individual. Huh! And what has come of that start? There are corporations worth billions of dollars--and hundreds of thousands of people who don't get to eat. Carson McCullers, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1940)

Poverty is the number-one killer of children in the United States. Doctors don't say so, at least not in so many words, because poverty isn't a medical affliction--it's an economic and social one. It kills all the same. Theresa Funiciello, Tyranny of Kindness (1993)

Poverty is an expensive luxury. We cannot afford it. Eleanor Roosevelt, Tomorrow Is Now (1963)

'Tis the superfluity of one man which makes the poverty of the other. Vernon Lee, "About Leisure," Limbo (1908)

It is hard to interest those who have everything in those who have nothing. Helen Keller, Helen Keller's Journal (1938)

Wouldn't you think some sociologist would have done a comparative study by now to prove, as I have always suspected, that there is a higher proportion of Undeserving Rich than Undeserving Poor? Molly Ivins, in The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (1992)

The Great Society's War on Poverty was also a war on alternative values. In reality it became a war on the poor, not on poverty. Lynn Maria Laitala, in The Finnish American Reporter (1992)

The poor have been sent to the front lines of a federal budget deficit reduction war that few other groups were drafted to fight. Marian Wright Edelman, Families in Peril (1987)

As the misery of poor people increased, so did the cacophony of private interests competing for government contracts, foundation grants, donations by individuals and corporations, and tax advantages for the donations to "correct" their version of the problem. The only people who did not cash in, the only ones absent from the debate in any public way, as ever, were poor. Theresa Funiciello, Tyranny of Kindness (1993)

It's going to take an act of Congress to deal with poverty.... We have the resources but we don't have the will. Coretta Scott King, in Alice Walker, In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens (1983)

People who are homeless are not social inadequates. They are people without houses. Sheila McKechnie, in The Christian Science Monitor (1985)

The poverty industry has become a veritable fifth estate. Acting as stand-ins for actual poor people, they mediate the politics of poverty with government officials. The fifth estate is a large and ever-growing power bloc that routinely and by whatever means necessary trades off the interests of poor people to advance its own parochial agenda. From the charities fleecing the state and the public, to the champagne fund-raisers charged off to Uncle Sam ... the fix is in. Theresa Funiciello, Tyranny of Kindness (1993)

By assigning his political rights to the state the individual also delegates his social responsibilities to it: he asks the state to relieve him of the burden of caring for the poor precisely as he asks for protection against criminals. The difference between pauper and criminal disappears--both stand outside society. Hannah Arendt, Origins of Totalitarianism (1951)

I am weary seeing our laboring classes so wretchedly housed, fed, and clothed, while thousands of dollars are wasted every year over unsightly statues. If these great men must have outdoor memorials let them be in the form of handsome blocks of buildings for the poor. Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1886), in Theodore Stanton and Harriot Stanton Blatch, eds., Elizabeth Cady Stanton As Revealed in Her Letters Diary and Reminiscences, vol. 2 (1922)

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ANNOTATED LIST OF FAVORITE PEOPLE AND THINGS

• Authors Guild
: for published writers, an activist and helpful organization

• Baltimore Coffee and Tea
: I can't work without tea--if that's you, take a look at the amazing selection of truly good and innovative teas here

• Bitch: Feminist Response to Pop Culture
: some of the most acute and pertinent reading that comes across my desk

• BookWoman
: bi-monthly publication full-to-overflowing with recommendations for the best reads in all genres

• Jared Butler
is a terrific screenwriter--see what he's writing these days

• Dads & Daughters
: take a look at the incredible accomplishments of this organization on behalf of girls--they are terrific

• Michelle Edwards: I'm a big fan of Michelle's original and memorable children's books--she's one of the truly authentic writer-illustrators for children working today


• Final Draft
: Okay, I know that everyone loves whatever software they happen to be using, but I have to say I think Final Draft is truly effective and user-friendly

• Leonard Roy Frank, Quotationary
: one of my favorite, most comprehensive, and most accurate collections of quotations (see it on the Random House site or at any online bookseller)

• Free Spirit Publishing
: a high-quality publisher of books for and about children and young people--every book is a gem

• The Hunger Site
: by just clicking a button you can ensure that a certain amount of food is given to the hungry, thanks to sponsors of the site--it's so easy to get in the habit of heading here every time you're online

• Joe Holmquist
: a profoundly creative composer and drummer, Joe's website, "Joe's World," features 15 works by his hero and even more insanely brilliant composer, Tristan Fuentes

• Il Mostro (The Monster), an Italian-language film with Roberto Benigni directing and acting--one of the funniest films I've ever seen


• Jazzou Jones
: Jazzou plays ragtime music on the Delta Queen steamboat, and he is the best! You can order some of his cheerful and well-fingered music

• Erica Jong
: a brilliant, creative, and courageous writer who's always tackling something new--check out her website for writers' tips

• Ralph Keyes
: author of a number of books including the excellent The Courage to Write: How Writers Transcend Fear

• Matt Koskenmaki
: talented, versatile, and productive filmscorer and composer; you can hear some of his music on his website

• Joyce Koskenmaki
: a brilliant, sensitive artist whose works are my favorites--see some of them here

• Theresa Maggio
: writes lyrically and memorably about Sicily in her novels Mattanza and The Stone Boudoir

• Minnesota Women's Press
: one of the best women's newspapers in the country--you'll like it even if you're not from Minnesota

• Move On
: well-organized national anti-war-on-Iraq group--check 'em out

• Ms. Magazine
: still great, still putting out well-written articles about things we need to know

• National Writers Union
: just what it sounds like--worth your time and money

• New Moon
: magazine for girls and their dreams, largely run by girls--an organization that has made a noticeable difference for girls

• Nota Bene
: an odd, largely unknown word-processing software aimed at writers and academics--I've used it for about 12 years and I'm crazy about it. Although it may not be everyone's cup of tea, it really covers all the bases and is powerful besides

• Not in Our Name
: an anti-war group that has been visible and well organized

• L'Occitane
: sheer indulgence and costly indulgence at that, but their lotions (hand, feet, body) are the best; they're expensive but one tube of hand cream lasts me a year

• Once Upon a Time
: a friendly over-the-back-fence writing magazine for children's writers and illustrators--it's especially useful and inspiring for newer writers, and its editor (Audrey Baird) ought to have her own listing here among my favorite people

• Elaine Partnow
: The Quotable Woman is a huge collection of quotations by women arranged chronologically--Elaine was the first woman ever to systematically and comprehensively collect quotations by women

• Lisa Westberg Peters
: a talented and delightful picture book writer--look for her stunning and surprisingly accessible collection of geology poems for children

• Nigel Rees
: the Quotemeister (books and BBC program) from Great Britain--probably the world's most knowledgeable person in this area

• SCBWI
: membership is almost a must for any writer or illustrator for children--you can be an associate member if you haven't had anything published yet

• See Jane
: Geena Davis's initiative to improve portrayals of girls and women in children's media is as dynamic as it is urgent (Dads & Daughters are the umbrella organization). Do you remember that in "Toy Story I" only one character was female?!

• Faith Sullivan
: author of The Cape Ann, Empress of One, and other classic, heart-centered, and memorable books--just type her name on Google and see some of what she's up to.

• Street Spirit
: one of the finest publications in the country, Street Spirit is by and about homeless individuals, published by the American Friends Service Committee (Terry Messman, ed.)

• USPS Domestic Calculator
: a useful, clever site that'll tell you how much postage to put on your letter or package

• Utne
: one of my favorite all-purpose magazines, and one of the best parts of it are contributions by librarian Chris Dodge

• Stephen Wilbers
: Steve is the expert on business writing--has written a syndicated column for years, has books and presentations to offer

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How much money do you make writing? Enough.

Why won't you ever do lunch? Takes the heart right out of a writing day.

Do you dye your hair? Not yet.

Who are you favorite authors? Rebecca West, George Eliot, Charlotte and Anne Bronte, Sara Paretsky, Marcia Muller, Sue Grafton, Barbara Ehrenreich, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Ellen Goodman, Judith Martin, Erica Jong, Dorothy L. Sayers, Katherine Anne Porter--and SO many more. You know all of them, but what about... Octavia Butler, Theresa Maggio, Laura Cunningham, Helen Hayes and Carrie Fisher (yes, they both can write well), Kim Hunter, Katherine Butler Hathaway, Kate Ross (read her four books in order), Teresa Funiciello (brilliant book on welfare). This is impossible. To find quotations for some of my books, I've read over 8,000 books and many of them are my "favorites." Never mind.

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A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY

My twentieth book was out last June: The Art of Talking to Anyone. I'm revising four manuscripts for children, and am working on four screenplays... I've also had hundreds of stories, articles, and educational materials published, and have edited some 100 trade and college text books. Mostly, I enjoy every minute at my desk! I live with a delightful husband on the side of a mountain at 6,000 feet in a national forest. Our delightful adult children live not far away and I'm one of eight siblings who keep in close touch with each other and enjoy frequent family get-togethers. I'm either dug in at my desk or abroad--I love travel, especially to France and Italy, where I speak the languages. I also speak the universal language of gratitude. Speaking of which, thanks for reading this far. I hope this is a particularly good day for you!