India Underfoot

This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. It’s too easy to twist your ankle while walking through India. Streets and sidewalks have irregular surfaces, and there are many distractions, ranging from speeding cars and motorcyclists creating their own laws to horses and goats. So I only feel like my footing is truly firm indoors, and … Read more

#MeToo: When Women Travel

This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. When women began posting accounts of sexual assault a few months ago, I listened. I counted myself fortunate to make it through a little more than a half century without rape. Also, I haven’t experienced workplace harassment. But as the #MeToo stories have continued, some uncomfortable memories … Read more

Original Brooklyn

This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Summer driving trips are on an upswing. Why not? Gas is cheap, and it’s often faster to drive to nearby state than to fly or take the train. Feeling all these things, plus a desire for a short summer road trip, I packed up the Highlander Hybrid and … Read more

Takeaways from Paradise

This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. I’m the last member of Murder is Everywhere to write about the Left Coast Crime convention on the Island of Oahu. Jeffrey shared the people part of the convention and the contrasts between busy Oahu and quiet Kauai. Susan got up insanely early to photograph a sunrise … Read more

Malia’s Gap Year

This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Congratulations to Malia Obama. She’s made it through the constant observation that began with her entrance to the White House in 5th grade. Both Malia and her 8th grade sister, Sasha, have gracefully stayed the course without acting out and remaining close to their parents. Malia, an excellent … Read more

Hawaii Journal Part Two

This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. In Hawaiian, the ‘Iolani bird is a heavenly hawk. Queen Emma chose it as the name for the Anglican school she founded for Hawaiian and mixed-race boys in Oahu between 1863 and 1870. Approximately 150 years later, the renaissance royal is gone but not forgotten. Many institutions … Read more

Hawaii Journal Part One

This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. I shouldn’t be in Hawaii right now, watching the waves roll in and basking in sunshine. The only reason I’m here is because I’m a worrier. In 2014, I began the application process for an artistic residency at the Iolani School in Honolulu. I worried I wasn’t going to … Read more