Poetry Sunday: “Frances of the Cadillac,”
by Laura Van Prooyen
This poem reminds me that part of being human is living on to wrestle with the legacy left by the people we love who leave us, sometimes under circumstances we cannot accept or even understand.
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Michelle Obama’s Becoming: The Power of Family
Michelle Obama remains the protagonist in this book. Like her mother, she nurtures her children and her family with consummate skill. Like her family, she encountered racism and discrimination along the way. Unlike her mother, she juggled this with full-time employment, and ultimately with being the most famous woman in the world.
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The Golden Globes: Time’s Not Up Yet
Last year, the press was encouraged to ask women substantive questions about their work, and not to default to the ubiquitous question "Who are you wearing?" Alas, we were back to that fashion-first mentality.
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Surgical Menopause
Dr. Pat offers advice to a woman on how to thrive in the second half of life after she had surgical menopause from a hysterectomy and removal of the ovaries in her early forties.
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Poetry Sunday: “Yuletide,” by Hilary Sideris
I was hooked by "Yuletide," then drawn in by the breathless, energetic style offering a fresh take on an old story of love, loss, and redemption.
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A New Year’s Resolution Worth Keeping
It is not news that people need human connection, but lately evidence has been mounting to suggest that loneliness may be killing us.
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An Easy, Breezy New Year
Gleaned from our archives: three refreshing takes on the traditional New Year’s vow.
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‘On the Basis of Sex’ — The Origin Story of the Supreme Court’s Wonder Woman
'On the Basis of Sex' begins in 1956, when Ruth Ginsburg was starting out as one of only nine women in a class of 500 at Harvard Law.
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December 31, 2018: Happy New Year!
The Husband and I have “big” plans for closing out 2018 and welcoming 2019. We will be alone in front of the fire to toast the New Year with champagne and a kiss at midnight.
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Poetry Sunday: “New Year’s Eve,” by Kathryn Stripling Byer
This is a narrative poem, one that tells a story or focuses more on the events being described than on the speaker’s feelings in reaction to those events. As such, it allows for the passage of time rather than arresting us in one dramatic moment.
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Extreme Childcare:
‘Mary Poppins Returns’ and ‘Roma’
While you can sit back and relax through 'Mary Poppins Returns,' there is much work to do watching 'Roma.'
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The Best Christmas Party Ever!
Although I am essentially an extrovert, I am not entirely crazy about parties. My understanding of parties changed in 1979 when I did a yearlong internship at a state mental hospital in the South Bronx.
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Christina Rossetti, “A Christmas Carol”
Christina Rossetti was devoted to deep Christian conviction and a rich artistic sensibility. Both influences can be seen in this poem’s spare, even stark diction that seems to belie the intensity of its imagery and underlying religious themes.
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“Baby It’s Cold Outside”: A Misunderstood Love Song
Let’s hope that our era produces more shows, serious and comedic, accurately reflecting our culture, with the warmth and wisdom of men like Frank Loesser and his colleagues.
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Screen Queens:
‘The Favourite’ and ‘Mary Queen of Scots’
While we're waiting for the Windsors to return to the small screen, we can find multiple queens at the multiplex.
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Managing Christmas Chores So You Can Have Some Christmas Fun!
Try to have a little fun when you are doing all the work to make Christmas nice for everyone else.
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Barbara Jane Reyes, “To Love as Aswang”
and “Psalm for Mary Jane Veloso”
There is a long tradition of writing poems in praise of specific individuals, typically epic heroes in ancient times but more and more about ordinary people in contemporary times.
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Cultivating Strength: Feed the Good Wolf (Part Two)
If you don’t value yourself, it is likely that you have been taught to feel that way. It can be a fundamental and unquestioned part of your self-image.
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‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,’ Season 2
'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' is written, directed, and created by Amy Sherman-Palladino. Her unique talents with brisk dialogue, cultural allusions, and quirky characters are put to even better use here.
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Winterize Your Skin
Although winter begins officially on December 21, protecting the complexion and skin from the ravages of dry overheated indoor air and windy cold dry blasts outdoors require attention sooner.
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Carol L. Deering:
“Paper Birch,” “Angle of Incidence,”
and “Wind’s Apology”
We each see, hear, sense what we think we’re saying or hearing; but often that connection to another is lost. And silence looms in the air.
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Take Control of Your Self-Image:
Feed the Good Wolf
How much power do we have to overcome and change a negative self-image?
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Honeymooning with a President
Without for a second hesitating, President Bush rushed over to us and exclaimed, “That’s wonderful! We need a picture here!”
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‘Tea with the Dames,’ An Intimate Portrait of Four Old Friends
In 'Tea with the Dames,' there's very little action. But there's plenty of drama.
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