Creative Ink

If your birthday is today...

2010-09-08T07:08:00.002-04:00

This year, you open up to new possibilities; you can manifest much of what you desire. Creativity marks your days, actions and words. Others simply enjoy working with you. Those in your personal life enjoy you more than ever. If you are attached, defer to your sweetie and remain sensitive to him or her. You could become quite me-oriented. A fellow Virgo can be like you used to be--nit-picky and

Seeing things differently

2010-09-06T21:26:00.003-04:00

Reading "The Artist's Way Every Day: A Year of Creative Living," by Julia Cameron and found resonance in a portion of the entry for August 28th. Been meaning to share because I think it so aptly applies to writing."The creative journey is characterized not by a muzzy and hazy retreat from reality but by the continual sorting and reordering and structuring of reality into new forms and new

Life–at warp speed

2010-06-04T11:44:00.006-04:00

It's the last day of school, a cause for celebration of the impending freedom that comes with summer. Yet I'm feeling the pull of life zipping me along at lightning speed. Isn't there any way to slow down this ship?As of today, I am officially the mom of a senior in high school. What an exciting time for him! And yet he's also adjusting to the new world order. Last weekend he began work at his

My new mantra

2010-06-02T09:11:00.002-04:00

"We cannot do great things on this earth. We can only do small things with great love." -- Mother Theresa

Wise words from a Roman poet

2010-05-16T14:00:00.001-04:00

"Take rest; a field that has rested gives a beautiful crop." -- Ovid

Delicious distractions

2010-05-15T11:52:00.003-04:00

What a gorgeous day! I have so many chores to accomplish that I'm afraid it's pleasures are going to slip by. While my hubby tackles the yard, cleans the deck and gets the patio furniture out, I'm working on the inside of the house. Sometimes you find pleasures in the mundane tasks of a Saturday.Several months after I starting working outside of the house, my middle son convinced me to give up

Writing that makes a difference

2010-05-12T20:13:00.006-04:00

My first exposure to William Zinsser was in 1990 when I picked up "On Writing Well" in an effort to improve my journalism. What I discovered was a lifelong mentor to accompany me on my writing journey.Fourteen years later in 2004, I had the great pleasure of meeting him in person and introducing him to an audience of journalists gathered at a conference in New York City. (Pictured above) I've had

Playing with poetry

2010-05-08T09:17:00.003-04:00

Poetry has always terrified me: Not the reading of, but the writing of poetry. It is writing stripped bear of anything except the most essential. The austerity of it intimidates a writer of prose such as myself.And yet I am drawn to its simplicity, to its power and to its raw emotion. Maybe my capacity to be pithy, to get to the essence of an idea, is increasing as I age. I think more and speak

Merton on the truth about suffering

2010-05-07T17:16:00.002-04:00

"The truth that many people never understand, until it is too late, is that the more you try to avoid suffering the more you suffer because smaller and more insignificant things begin to torture you in proportion to your fear of beinghurt." -- Thomas Merton

Sleep and writing

2010-05-06T22:27:00.002-04:00

"My trouble is insomnia. If I had always slept properly, I'd never have written a line." -- Louis-Ferdinand Celine

Live the questions now

2010-04-25T21:43:00.003-04:00

"I would like to beg you dear Sir, as well as I can, to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don't search for the answers, which would not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now

My beach reads

2010-04-20T06:57:00.004-04:00

One of my favorite things about beach vacations (aside from the beach) is the reading time it affords. On my latest vacation to Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, I had books loaned to me from two of my friends. One was “Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert. I know, I know, EVERYONE has read that book. But I’m never one to read books when they are all the Oprah-induced rage.But as I perused the stack

April is...

2010-04-19T08:39:00.002-04:00

"April is the cruelest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain." -- T.S. Eliot

Cleveland is a time-saving city

2010-04-14T20:53:00.004-04:00

I'm getting caught up reading my magazines. The April issue of Real Simple has an editorial focus on saving time. One of its features is a survey of the 21 Top Time-Saving Cities in America. Cities were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 on how easily one could get around, the health and safety, access to information and technology, green time-savers and lifestyle.Cleveland is in a three-way tie with

Natalie Merchant's enchanting music

2010-04-13T22:28:00.004-04:00

I'm dating myself now, but there was a time when the 10,000 Maniacs was part of my life's soundtrack, a cassette regularly popped into my car stereo for driving music.Natalie Merchant, lead singer of the Maniacs, has released a new album of children's music called Leave Your Sleep that I found absolutely enchanting to listen to at 6:15 this morning. Her eclectic collection of tunes is set to

Tread softly...

2010-04-12T21:07:00.003-04:00

A beauty from one of my favorite poets."Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths [...] I would spread the cloths under your feet: But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams."-- William Butler Yeats, "The Wind Among the Reeds"

Recalibration

2010-04-11T22:01:00.003-04:00

As we quietly slip out of our vacation rental and into the blackness of the early morning, I’m a little melancholy at the thought of vacation coming to a close so quickly. The morning seems to reflect my mood. As we make our way across the bay bridge, there’s a sliver of a moon reflected on the water’s surface, only its edges and reflection are both blurred by morning fog.My mind feels foggy,

Introducing St. Vincent Charity Medical Center

2010-02-01T12:51:00.004-05:00

With completion of the transaction between the Sisters of Charity Health System and University Hospitals on Dec. 31, 2009, the Sisters of Charity Health System has regained 100 percent ownership and governance of St. Vincent Charity Hospital. With this strong commitment of the founding Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine to this 145-year-old institution, St. Vincent Charity Hospital today is

I write, therefore I am

2009-09-13T12:48:00.003-04:00

"When you use words, you're able to keep your mind alive. Writing is my way of reaffirming my own existence." – Gao Xingjian, 2000 winner of Nobel Prize in Literature

Are YOU ready for some football?

2009-09-09T20:02:00.008-04:00

It's football season in my house. What does that mean? Thursday freshmen games, Friday night varsity games and Saturday afternoon 5th-6th tackle. Patrick is playing wide receiver and safety on the Bay High freshman football team. My son, who at 120 pounds has the distinction of being the lightest player on the high school roster, made three fumble recoveries last week against Westlake. Michael is

In memoriam

2009-06-05T08:16:00.009-04:00

Although I'm feeling quite rusty on the blogging front, I'm moved to post a mini celebration of a life that filled some, including me, with equal parts laughter and aggravation.Terry Harper was the executive director of the Society of Professional Journalists. He died on Wednesday from a recurrent, malignant brain tumor. I'm sure he wouldn't want to be remembered for his SPJ work. First and

Dont' shortchange the muse

2009-05-02T22:29:00.001-04:00

"You can't fake quality any more than you can fake a good meal." — William Boroughs

The judges said...

2009-04-13T09:36:00.003-04:00

Our KnowledgeWorks Foundation project earned a Gold Award in the 2008 Council on Foundation annual awards. You can learn more here or read my piece of the story on Cleveland Heights High School beginning here. One of the judges gave us a perfect score. * “The reports are well written, informative and reveal the compassion and dedication of the educators. Fantastic insights… The visuals

When an old quote makes you smile anew

2009-01-13T17:16:00.009-05:00

Yesterday's quote of the day on my Google home page made me smile, mostly because I fondly recalled being told this by a dear friend with one admonition, which I've included in parentheses.You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. (Just don't hurt anybody.)--Jack London

Winter has arrived

2009-01-10T11:31:00.004-05:00

Big Guy (aka my hubby) has been out shoveling three times already today. Fortunately, the strapping young lads are now awake and will be doing the remainder of the day's shoveling.Here's a view of our corner (an added shoveling burden as all who live on a corner lot can attest) from the comfort and warmth of my living room.Anyone want a Bud Light Lime? Summer on the patio seems ever so long ago.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-27T11:30:00.003-05:00

The Brothers HokeRyan (16), Patrick (14), Michael (9)This was as good as it gets for a group photo of the boys. They were truly clowns this year, particularly Middle Son. When Youngest Son made a dig, he promptly got Middle Son's boney elbow in his belly. Youngest Son's eyes are a little moist in the photo, but I told him it looked as if he were laughing instead of crying.Youngest had a rough

The unresolved questions of the heart

2008-12-22T20:54:00.004-05:00

"Have patience with everything unresolved in your heart, and try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language." — Rainer Maria Rilke

Two new stories on education

2008-12-14T10:52:00.002-05:00

Last August, I wrote a couple of stories about closing the achievement gap for Catalyst-Ohio magazine. Those stories are now posted.Read how Withrow University High School in Cincinnati is achieving high graduation rates here.And here is an update on Gov. Ted Strickland's initiative to keep African American boys in school.

Queen of the Americas

2008-12-08T07:02:00.001-05:00

In celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, here's a story I wrote for the Catholic Universe Bulletin that appeared on Dec. 1, 2006.Queen of the AmericasOur Lady of Guadalupe feast reaches all HispanicsBy Wendy A. HokeFor centuries she has been called upon to comfort, defend and protect. Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Marianist apparition who appeared as a native Aztec on a Mexican hilltop

Writer's relationship with words

2008-12-02T21:29:00.001-05:00

"All my life I've looked at words as if I were seeing them for the first time."— Ernest Hemingway

Decadence of losing myself in a novel

2008-12-01T19:21:00.004-05:00

There may come a point in my life when reading for pleasure won't induce feelings of guilt. But not yet. Yesterday was the perfect day to get lost in a good book—and that's exactly what I did despite occasional calls of, "Mom," from my family just checking to make sure I was still in the house.I've been reading Sashenka, by Simon Montefiore. If you're a fan of Russian history, you may know

Voices of the Uninsured Forum is tomorrow

2008-11-21T09:43:00.004-05:00

Who are the uninsured persons in Greater Cleveland? We'll hear firsthand tomorrow at the "Voices of the Uninsured Forum" beginning at 8:30 a.m. at The Intercontinental Hotel on the Cleveland Clinic campus as 250 people gather for a frank discussion.This important event brings together uninsured persons and medical respresentatives from all four health systems (yes, there are four)--Cleveland

Part 6: Looking for solutions

2008-11-21T07:54:00.002-05:00

Below is the final part of my of book, "Learning to be Leaders," published this month by KnowledgeWorks Foundation. You can download or order a copy here or read part one, part two here and part three here, part four here and part five here.Looking for Solutions It’s a dreary, rainy day in early March and the staff of Legacy School is gathered in a third-floor classroom to begin the small

Part 5: Suspension disbelief and a conversation begins

2008-11-20T06:45:00.004-05:00

Below is part of five of my book, "Learning to be Leaders," published this month by KnowledgeWorks Foundation. You can download or order a copy here or read part one, part two here and part three here and part four here.Suspension DisbeliefEngoglia’s discipline challenges continue throughout the year. Despite some improvement in the referral rate, suspension remains the default discipline. As he

Part 4: A Clash Over Discipline

2008-11-18T05:49:00.004-05:00

Below is part of four of my book, "Learning to be Leaders," published this month by KnowledgeWorks Foundation. You can download or order a copy here or read part one, part two here and part three here.A Clash Over DisciplineBy early November 2007, the pace has yet to slow. Kastor sits across from Engoglia and pulls out their to-do notebook (it’s way more than a list). “C’mon, we’ve got a half

Part 3: The impetus for change

2008-11-14T07:03:00.004-05:00

Below is part of three of book, "Learning to be Leaders," published this month by KnowledgeWorks Foundation. You can download or order a copy here or read part one and part two here.The Impetus for Change Just before it started the small schools transformation, Cleveland Heights High School was a much different place. While it had always met the needs of exceptional students, more students had

Part 2: A leader and staff at odds

2008-11-13T06:01:00.007-05:00

Below is a continuing excerpt of my KnowledgeWorks Foundation book, "Learning to be Leaders." It documents the small schools transformation at Cleveland Heights High School over a four-year period. Part 1 is found here. You can download or order a copy here.A Leader and Staff at OddsAs the 2005-06 school year begins, Engoglia is determined to prove to his staff that he’s capable of leading

Part 1: Learning to be leaders

2008-11-12T06:54:00.003-05:00

For the next few days I'm going to be excerpting my story about small schools transformation at Cleveland Heights High School. You can order or download a copy of Learning to be Leaders here. The book itself has some great photography shot over several days by Rob Wetzler.Learning to be LeadersPrincipal and teachers adjust to expanded roles that give them a greater voice in shaping their small

Monitor story on fugitive slave experience

2008-11-05T08:50:00.003-05:00

What an awesome realization to think that my story about a reenactment of the fugitive slave experience should appear in a national newspaper on the day this country elected its first African-American president.I am inspired and moved beyond words this morning. I awoke with a sense that it's a new day in America. My faith in this country and its wonderful people has been renewed.

Election eve anxiety

2008-11-03T20:14:00.004-05:00

I may have to walk away from the TV and the laptop tonight. I'm feeling anxious about tomorrow and it's compelling me to read everything I possibly can in the hopes that I'll find the keystone to tomorrow's outcome.Logically, of course, I know the tomorrow must be endured, but I wish I could snap my fingers and have it be Wednesday. Polls have predicted as best they can, robocalls are going

Monitor story: From housing rubble, sprouts green furniture

2008-10-30T07:01:00.005-04:00

Here's a link to my latest feature in Christian Science Monitor. I wrote about A Piece of Cleveland, a fantastic Cleveland story!Let me know what you think!

A first for me

2008-10-26T11:16:00.003-04:00

Changes at Creative Ink

2008-10-19T10:15:00.003-04:00

Starting tomorrow, my career will take a new turn as I embark on my new job as communications officer for the Sisters of Charity Health System. Essentially, I'll be responsible for the internal and external communications of the health system, which include hospitals St. Vincent Charity (Cleveland), St. John West Shore (Westlake), Mercy Medical Center (Canton), Providence Hospital (Columbia, SC);

Stop the pissing match already!

2008-10-07T09:04:00.005-04:00

I'm getting positively fed up with the tone of this presidential campaign and the self-righteous indignation the GOP handlers have toward the press. Who the heck do they think they are? What job do they think they're seeking? Head janitor?This country is seriously messed up and the best they can come up with are character attacks? What a bunch of intellectual lightweights. If I were an educated

Monday Musings

2008-10-06T13:09:00.004-04:00

Oy, I've been remiss in posting. So much going on and so I've been Twittering instead of posting because I can't seem to find the time to write something more thoughtful. I've started two posts on the economy and I get too depressed and I'm too reluctant to share my own story publicly. So instead, those posts sit in my drafts folder with a collection of quotes, links and thoughts that I'll

Interview with Marketplace's Kai Ryssdal

2008-09-25T09:20:00.004-04:00

From the April 2006 issue of Quill magazine, here is my Q&A with Marketplace host, Kai Ryssdal in town tonight for a sold-out appearance.TEN: Quill poses 10 questions to people with some of the coolest jobs in journalismBy Wendy A. HokeIf you’re a regular public radio listener, chances are you’ve heard Kai Ryssdal. He’s the voice of business reporting on American Public Media, delivering business

Jay Rosen asks Romenesko readers...

2008-09-23T11:16:00.003-04:00

"If the McCain campaign says the [New York] Times is not a legitimate news source why does the Times have to treat McCain as a legitimate candidate?"What do you think?In case you missed it, this question stems from a Times article about McCain campaign adviser Rick Davis's ties to Fannie and Freddie and his and Steve Schmidt's reaction in a conference call with reporters calling the Times an

Connie on Poynter

2008-09-22T13:18:00.004-04:00

Poynter has a great audio interview with PD columnist Connie Schultz. Nice job, Connie! Two of her columns are published in this year's "Best Newspaper Writing 2008-09," by the American Society of Newspaper Editors. She has a gift for sharing her thoughts on writing, whether it's to a group of senior citizens or an addled fearful fellow female journalist.

Straight talk on McCain's presidential ambition

2008-09-19T08:45:00.003-04:00

From opinion piece in Politico by Elizabeth Drew, author of complimentary biographer, "Citizen McCain."In his 2002 memoir, “Worth the Fighting For,” he wrote, revealingly, “I didn’t decide to run for president to start a national crusade for the political reforms I believed in or to run a campaign as if it were some grand act of patriotism. In truth, I wanted to be president because it had become

UPDATED: KSU Poynter ethics seminar today

2008-09-18T07:39:00.010-04:00

Jill is reporting today from the KSU Poynter Media Ethics seminar. Wanted to be there but couldn't swing the $50 price tag just now.There's also a twitter feed here.UPDATE #1: Jay Rosen is keynote today at KSU. Hope he shakes things up a bit. Keep hearing words like "timid" and "risk-averse" in describing journalism today. Certainly those are not words I ever would have associated with being a

Civics lesson for today—pay attention

2008-09-18T07:39:00.005-04:00

We don't call it civics anymore, but maybe we should, as in civic engagement, which is just another way of describing how to get people to think about the decisions made by their leaders and representatives and how those decisions broadly affect all aspects of their lives. One example is welfare reform, which has had the unintended consequence of impacting everything from crime to education. But

Obama's new ad: serious talk for serious times

2008-09-17T12:17:00.004-04:00

How refreshing to find this ad from Sen. Barack Obama on The Moderate Voice today. Yeah, it's dry and it pushes our attention limits by pushing to two minutes in length. But you know what? I think he strikes the right tone and as citizens we owe it to look deeper into the serious issues facing our country. I'm tired of hearing about how strong the fundamentals of our economy are when I know I

Sons and daughters of the news media...

2008-09-16T13:39:00.003-04:00

... War has been declared on us by a hostile aggressor intent on stealing whatever piddly credibility we may yet hold with the public. Are we to run, then? Or are we to stand and fight? Will Bunch has written the journalistic equivalent of the William Wallace speech."Because there is a war for the soul of this nation going right now, and we the media are involved -- not as some would like to

Things that make you, "Hmmm"

2008-09-16T12:01:00.003-04:00

This little ditty came across the transom from my good friend to the rest of my peeps as we modern working moms try to make sense of what it means to be a woman and a feminist in this election. For your pondering pleasure...Interesting piece from a NY publication:I'm a little confused. Let me see if I have this straight.....* If you grow up in Hawaii , raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic,

Some Tweets on Palin

2008-09-12T11:33:00.005-04:00

I am addicted to Twitter. During Obama's acceptance speech at the DNC, I sat in my family room with my laptop and joined a collection of followers and followees in a shared viewing experience. Son #1 sat next me and said, "So is this like texting for adults."Yeah, I guess it is, only you're not texting one individual, you're talking to a group of people. While there may be some shared followers,

Creative Ink is on hiatus

2008-09-10T09:07:00.003-04:00

In light of aggressive and hostile comments and creepy online activity that I found disturbing, I've chosen to make Creative Ink a private blog for now. I will resume normal posting activity when the matter is resolved.In the meantime, you can also visit me on Twitter.

September 8, 2008

2008-09-08T09:47:00.001-04:00

Dave Matthews Band performs #41

EDGE subcommittee IDs skills and knowledge for future

2008-09-03T12:14:00.003-04:00

The state Subcommittee on Education in a Global Environment (EDGE) researched the skills, knowledge and behaviors that businesses believe students will need to be successful in the global economy. Here's the top 10 list posted on Ohio Department of Education list. Public can add feedback here.Top 10 List of FindingsThe following is a Top 10 list of findings from the EDGE subcommittee researchon

The fork in the road

2008-08-27T08:40:00.002-04:00

It's been a while since I've posted with any regularity here at Creative Ink. Humble apologies to any regular readers I might have. My creative and productive energies have been diverted elsewhere for the past few months into some very important and meaningful personal projects that required my full attention.As a result, I've had little brain activity leftover to share meaningful thoughts here.

Phelps, ADHD and teachers

2008-08-21T08:07:00.002-04:00

Olympic champion swimmer Michael Phelps was diagnosed as ADHD as a child. His mom, Debbie, spoke this week about how swimming helped him to focus. There's this little item from Teacher Magazine this week:In a recent interview with the New York Times, Deborah Phelps, middle school principal and mother of Michael, the most medaled Olympian in history, remembers how her son’s elementary school

Invest in a girl...

2008-08-11T10:15:00.002-04:00

... and she will do the rest. Visit The Girl Effect.

Join the Monitor in real-time reporting on "Little Bill Clinton"

2008-08-06T11:45:00.003-04:00

Here's another reason why I'm so proud to be a contributor to the Christian Science Monitor. Last night I received an e-mail from my editor about a new project called, "Little Bill Clinton: A School Year in the Life of a New American" by reporter Mary Wittenberg and photographer Melanie Stetson-Freeman.According to the editor: "This year-long narrative project about a refugee charter school in

ABC News and the anthrax story

2008-08-04T05:16:00.003-04:00

In the years since 2001, I had largely forgotten what it felt like to live under the sustained fear of unimaginable terrorism hovering over our collective conscience. But it all came rushing back in the wake of suicide death of Bruce Ivins, the FBI's lead suspect in the anthrax attacks of October 2001. Salon's Glenn Greenwald has two compelling pieces (here and here) that call into question ABC

The top job, take two

2008-08-01T14:08:00.004-04:00

Great piece on women (or lack thereof) in high-profile media positions at The G Spot. H/T to Jill for sharing the link. I wrote about the dearth of women in high-profile journalism positions recently here. Here are a couple of take-aways from the G Spot piece, but I hope you'll read it in its entirety."Liberal women, and especially liberal feminist women, are not particularly welcome in opinion

Catalyst magazine wants to know: What do you think of Gov. Strickland's proposal for cabinet-level education director?

2008-07-31T12:51:00.004-04:00

Weigh in on Ohio Governor Ted Strickland's proposal to appoint a cabinet-level director of the Ohio Department of Education and relegate the superintendent of public instruction and state school board to the roles of advisors.What are the pluses? What are the minuses? Who wins and who loses? How will it contribute to or detract from improved teacher quality and student achievement? Take the

Why citizen effort is needed on Cuyahoga County story

2008-07-31T12:11:00.003-04:00

Ed Morrison just sent me a link to a new site called Map the Mess: Cleaning Up Cuyahoga County.It' s a citizen journalism effort using social networking software to map the many business and civic connections among Cuyahoga County's leadership. This is the perfect story in which to use the mapping technology, social networking and crowdsourcing. The vastness of this story will never be fully

Cuyahoga County: What's next?

2008-07-29T07:53:00.005-04:00

There's a certain thrill to watching the unraveling of the Cuyahoga County political patronage machine. We (Dan and I) spent the evening speculating with neighbors about how deep the deception lies, what the FBI and IRS are searching for, when (if?) charges will be filed, how long this has been going on and who will benefit.Today's PD is reporting that D-A-S Construction CEO Steve Pumper is

FBI/IRS raid county admin

2008-07-28T12:09:00.002-04:00

Big stuff breaking at Cuyahoga County Admin building. I'll be following this story closely.

Journalism's self-inflicted woes

2008-07-28T08:09:00.002-04:00

From Scott Rosenberg's Wordyard earlier this summer. Rosenberg is a co-founder of Salon."There’s no question in my mind that the woes of the journalism profession today have been at least partially self-inflicted. At the very historical moment that the news pros faced relentless new scrutiny from a vast army of dedicated amateur watchdogs and expert critics, they offered up a relentless sequence

"This talk is about living your life...it's for my kids"

2008-07-25T14:55:00.005-04:00

You owe it to yourself to watch this lecture. It is pure joy and inspiration. Unfortunately, Randy Pausch passed away this morning. He was 47.

A gift in today's snail mail

2008-07-25T13:36:00.005-04:00

A few weeks back I letter arrived to me via the Christian Science Monitor from a tutor out in Palo Alto, California. She wrote to tell me that her eighth-grade pupil, Alex, had used my Monitor story on John Boyd to learn new vocabulary words (six!) and content and style. Her student wanted to know what happened in the election.I called her the day after I received her letter to tell her that Boyd

Moyers 'Journal' comes to Slavic Village

2008-07-25T08:03:00.003-04:00

Did you see Bill Moyers' program on the latest financial disaster? "You can see the whole picture in one neighborhood in Cleveland, Ohio," says Moyers. Here's a link to the video.

Zelda on Scott

2008-07-24T07:14:00.006-04:00

I love reading the letters of writers. I think they contain some of their best, most heartfelt work. And they reveal much about the inner workings of the writer's heart, soul and brain. I have a copy of "The Real F. Scott Fitzgerald," by Sheilah Graham that contains some moving letters from the end of his life. Here is a passage from a letter from Zelda Fitzgerald to Scott's family following his

'60 Minutes' was riveting last night

2008-07-21T08:56:00.006-04:00

Most Sunday nights I may hear a bit of CBS's "60 Minutes" while I'm cleaning up the kitchen or folding laundry or tending to any of a number of household chores. It's my husband's favorite news program and, after making Sunday night dinner, he watches faithfully every week. Last night, I saw the story teasers and decided to sit down to watch with him.I'm glad I did because the stories were

UPDATE: Latest Monitor story: Father of the halogen bulb

2008-07-17T11:49:00.005-04:00

My latest story ran in yesterday's Christian Science Monitor, but I'm so out of whack without my laptop that I forgot to check and forgot to post. Readers of CI may recall I was disappointed by the PD's story on Elmer Fridrich a few weeks ago. After blogging about that, I heard from the inventor's daughter and a man working with him on marketing his latest inventions. They invited me to come meet

Back Up, Back Up, Back Up!

2008-07-15T19:33:00.003-04:00

Seriously, how many times do we have to be told to back up our computers? And how many times do we get lulled into thinking all is well? That happened to me this week. My MacBook hard drive crashed. I'm OK with having to get the new hard drive, but I think it's been several months since I backed up my drive on an external drive. That may not seem like a long time, but in the career of a writer,

Obama on writing--and reading

2008-07-14T14:53:00.002-04:00

Hattip to Mother Reader for posting this:"There was one question in particular of interest to us book lovers, andthat came from a woman who asked what Obama would say to young writers. He wassurprised by the question, which he admitted was one he hadn’t heard before, butdidn’t hesitate to answer. He referenced his two books, and specificallymentioned how he wrote them himself, along with many of

A good writer is...

2008-07-10T07:23:00.001-04:00

"A good writer is basically a story teller, not a scholar or a redeemer of mankind." — Isaac Bashevis Singer

Blooms from my garden

2008-07-09T11:52:00.003-04:00

Aren't these blooms gorgeous? I do not possess a green thumb. Any success I've had in gardening is purely accidental. Generally at this point in the summer, my garden looks more neglected than thriving. But the rainy summer seems to be doing wonders.For the first time in three years (since I planted it, actually) my hydrangea bloomed. The amount of iron in the soil determines the color of the

Operation Halyard story is a must-see

2008-07-08T09:00:00.005-04:00

My good friend and Toledo television reporter, Jennifer Boresz reported a wonderful feature-length piece that aired on July 4 on WTOL, the CBS affiliate in Toledo. It's hard for local broadcasters to get meaty assignments, but Jen put a great deal of work into this piece that aired on the station's 5 o'clock show. Hope you'll take a minute (or five) to watch.I've been a friend and mentor of Jen's

Tears for Tricia

2008-07-07T06:46:00.005-04:00

Yesterday afternoon we learned that a wonderfully vibrant, loving, beautiful, fun woman passed away after a long battle with breast cancer. Tricia Riley was 41 years old. Our prayers this week are for her husband, Jim, and her children, Kelly, Ian and Maeve.Her spirit touched so many of us and we are sad to lose a dear friend. A scene keeps playing in my head in continuous video loop. Kelly and

And the top job goes to....?

2008-06-25T12:31:00.007-04:00

...Another guy.Yep, that's right. Women are remarkably absent from any discussion of replacements for Leonard Downie or Meet the Press or NBC Washington Bureau Chief . The ME of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has announced his resignation, so I wonder what names will circulate to replace him?I have no problem with men holding powerful positions in journalism. I have a problem with them holding

Where to begin...

2008-06-24T14:28:00.004-04:00

Apologies for the dearth of any meaningful posts here of late. I could say I've been too busy, because I have. It's been quite a frenzied month of story assignments, project beginnings, projects ending, projects hopefully getting underway. It's all good and I feel very blessed, indeed. But there's a good amount of hard work involved.In addition to my regular features for the Catholic Universe

Merton and the influence of books

2008-06-17T17:54:00.003-04:00

In 1963, a reporter from the San Francisco Examiner sent a questionnaire to Thomas Merton. Here were the questions and Merton's responses as found in, "Echoing Silence: Thomas Merton on the Vocation of Writing," edited by Robert Inchausti.1. Name the last three books you have read.The Platform Scripture of Hui Neng, translated by Wing Tsit ChanThe Proslogion by St. Anselm of CanterburyA Different

Get that boy a J-O-B

2008-06-16T07:30:00.003-04:00

"You're young, you've got your health. What you want with a job?" — Raising ArizonaEvery summer of my teenage existence there would be a day when for no obvious reason (to me and my siblings anyway) my mom would be highly agitated by our physical presence. If you listened closely (which we often didn't), she could be heard uttering things like, "This isn't a flop house." "There are chores to be

UB story: Paging Father Art

2008-06-13T09:17:00.005-04:00

My latest story in the UB is on Father Art Snedeker, the chaplain at MetroHealth Medical Center. My mom, who works in the Rammelkamp Center for Education and Research, remembers Father Art coming to visit her when she was a cancer patient at Metro. (Photo by Bill Reiter)Paging Father Art MetroHealth Chaplain helps critical patientsimagine their way to healing

Has blogging changed your journalism?

2008-06-11T07:47:00.002-04:00

Take a survey here.Paul Bradshaw of Online Journalism Blog and Birmingham City University in England is compiling research on the topic. Take a few minutes to help him out.

Busy, busy; thanks, but no thanks; Copper Cup closed; and summer arrives

2008-06-10T08:19:00.006-04:00

My backlog of posts I'd like to write is growing hourly. Of course I'll never get to half of them. As I told someone recently, I could write a post on the things I meant to write a post about. But a steady stream of deadlines has kept me hopping and otherwise committed. I'll try to get something halfway thoughtful posted later this week based on an event I attended last week, especially since it

"We are already one"

2008-06-09T22:51:00.002-04:00

And the deepest level of communication is not communication, but communion. It is wordless. It is beyond words, and it is beyond speech, and it is beyond concept. Not that we discover a new unity. We discover an older unity. My dear brothers, we are already one. But we imagine that we are not. And what we have to recover is our original unity. What we have to be is what we are.

Foreclosure story has long legs

2008-06-04T09:35:00.005-04:00

I never know where my stories will turn up. It's a bit disconcerting as I try to ascertain whether or not copyright has been violated. I'll share an example: Last night I was Googling myself (it's a good practice to get into regularly if you write for living) and found my latest Christian Science Monitor story on foreclosure bus tour turning up in all sorts of places. They go from simple links or

'To bury the dead' wins first place in features

2008-06-03T20:49:00.003-04:00

The Catholic Press Association announced the winners of its 2008 editorial contest this past weekend and I just learned this afternoon that my story, "To bury the dead" about the Joseph of Arimathea Society at St. Ignatius High School won first place in features category. Complete results of the contest are available as PDF.Here's what the judges had to say:"This story delivered a strong sense of

In Friday's UB: Vatican Splendors and St. John's Bible

2008-06-02T06:24:00.004-04:00

I'm a bit behind in my postings, but here are links and copies of two of my stories from Friday's Catholic Universe Bulletin.Vatican SplendorsExhibit a celebration of art, culture, Christianity and history By Wendy A. Hoke In the first century of the Common Era, during the time of Christ, there’s a legend that says King Abgar

PD gets a good story on page 1

2008-05-28T08:07:00.009-04:00

Since I'm often disappointed by what I find in The Plain Dealer, I thought I would take a second to report that I was pleasantly surprised by one of today's front-page stories. (I won't even begin to tell you how much time I wasted on cleveland.com searching for the story. I had to Google Brian's name to find the link.)I first wrote about Brian Mauk and his work with the homeless for the Catholic

Tuesday Tidbits: Why Joe Biden rocks, WAPO Wonder bread, power and sex in the church and another broken bone

2008-05-27T14:41:00.007-04:00

Why Joe Biden rocksI've been a fan of Sen. Joe Biden's for one simple reason: he is a no-nonsense guy unafraid to speak his mind. It's a shame his presidential run didn't get very far ironically in part because of his forthrightness. If you missed his op-ed in last Friday's Wall Street Journal, I suggest you give it a look. There's also a video bit on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program below. Biden

Latest Monitor story: 'Foreclosure tourism' is a ticket to opportunity

2008-05-27T14:24:00.005-04:00

Here's a link to my latest story and audio in today's Christian Science Monitor, which provides an unusual look at the foreclosure crisis.

Monday odds and ends

2008-05-19T09:19:00.007-04:00

I'm trying to keep my Mondays and Fridays as "office" days so I can sift through the myriad items requiring constant follow up. I spent the weekend proofing pages for a book project so my tired eyeballs could really use a break.In addition to following up with folks I haven't seen in a while (thanks to the SPJ DSA), I'm also going through my reviewer checklists for fall titles from publishers,

UPDATE: My SPJ/DSA speech from today

2008-05-15T14:56:00.003-04:00

The Cleveland Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists honored me today with the chapter's Distinguished Service Award. I was proud to receive the award today at the City Club along with fellow honoree David Marburger. We also honored this year's SPJ scholarship winner, Melissa Kory, from North Ridgeville High School. I was so happy to have my good friend and fellow writer Jill Miller

Lighting a candle for Stephie

2008-05-12T21:46:00.009-04:00

Bay Village tonight mourns the passing of 7-year-old Stephanie "Stephie" Lufkin. She was a first-grader at Normandy Elementary and the daughter of Bay Middle School sixth-grade teacher Katie Lufkin and her husband, Doug. Her Aunt Kelly is a photographer and has been capturing photos posted on flickr for the past few days that will break your heart.Here's the obit on Stephie's grandmother and

Pedaling for peace

2008-05-12T12:14:00.003-04:00

"I believe in women taking a role to make peace in the area," Youssef adds. It's a perspective shared by most in the group: that dialogue by people like themselves, and not politicians behind closed doors, is the key to improving relations between countries and laying a foundation for peace. From "Women on two wheels: A Middle East dialogue tour" in today's Christian Science Monitor.Word

Education reform is...

2008-05-08T06:30:00.003-04:00

From Washington Post:Reform "is like a bus -- you're either going to be on it [as a passenger] or you're going to be driving it," Greg Ahrnsbrak, a Denver teacher whose middle school received autonomy from the school system, told a crowd of educators at the Capital Hilton in downtown Washington today. "I see no policy, as far as reform goes, from my union," he added. "We need people out there