A Tale of Two City Festivals

This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Thousands of cherry trees blossom every spring in Washington DC, a tradition spanning 105 years. At the same time, brilliant light sculptures and art installations glow along the port promenade in Baltimore. Two festivals I’d never experienced drew me away from my work. Which festival first? I … 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

Teenagers May Hold the Key

This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. If you read books set in other countries, you care about things that happen beyond your front door. The recent blog posts by  Annamaria Alfieri and Cara Black as well as a poem by Karuna Ezara Parikh are powerful testimonies to read after Nov 12-13. What’s on my mind are the … Read more

Marjorie and Me

The other weekend, I was cranky and knew I needed a temporary getaway from my family. So I got in the car on a hot July morning and drove south to DC, savoring Saturday’s lack of traffic. Ever since I moved back to the Mid-Atlantic, I’ve longed to tour Hillwood, the 1920s Georgian mansion of … Read more