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Inspired by Women's History Month, I decided to repost this UU talk. It focuses on gardening and the Goddess Bastet, based on a talk I presented at the Unitarian Universalists of Mt. Airy. The Goddess Bastet, from ancient Egypt, is often presented as having the head of a cat and the body of a woman. I wrote this piece when I was writing my novel, The Unicorn, The Mystery (around 2018-2019). The novel was published in 2020 by Adelaide Books (New York; Lisbon). This morning, I

Since it is women's history month, I thought I would post a brief excerpt from my novel The Unicorn, The Mystery (Adelaide Books; New York; Lisbon) from a section that centers on two nuns who live in the abbey where the unicorn lives (the novel is based in 1390 and was inspired by the unicorn tapestries now in The Museum of Modern Art). These two nuns, who happen to be in love with each other, keep a secret cat (cats were forbidden in the Middle Ages and often thought of as r

I was inspired by LGBTQ history month, to read a brief excerpt from my novel, Loving Artemis, an endearing tale of revolution, love, and marriage . The YouTube video is below and under that is the written text. Grace walked over to a table and put her backpack on it. She pulled out a chair, sat down, and opened it, then pulled out her three-ring notebook. She flipped it open, staring down at the words on the page where she had written Art's suggestions: The Stonewall Rebelli

“I was in such agony, staying away from you, Heloise,” confided Isabella. “I knew the Mother Superior was on to us and I didn’t want to make her even more angry.” “I told you there is no pleasing the Mother Superior. She’s always angry. I think she was born that way.” Heloise giggled. “Sshh,” Isabella admonished. “Someone might hear you. We are not allowed to talk in the abbey.” “We are not allowed to talk anywhere,” retorted Heloise. If she sang in the choir — if women were

Since we're in LGBTQ history month, I have decided to post a short excerpt from my novel THEY, a biblical tale of secret genders (Adelaide Books, New York and Lisbon). After all, our history goes back quite a long time. This excerpt has to do with a popular Bible story--Joseph's Coat of Many Colors--as heard at the village well. I recorded this brief excerpt below and under that is the text. Judith rolled her eyes. "I like being part of public life. What I don't find out fro

I decided to repost this review because it talks about the life of Alain Locke, someone who embodies both African American history and is also an important figure in LGBTQ history. Although both African American history and LGBTQ history are in February, I think they should be honored year-round. This week, I decided to post a review of the biography on Alain Locke, a key figure in starting the Harlem Renaissance. I have long been fascinated by the figure of Alain Locke – who

Inspired by Veronika, the cow who lives in Austria, and has created a stir because someone has observed that she can use tools (precisely, she uses a long-handled brush to scratch her back), I am posting a brief excerpt from my novel CINNAMON, a dairy cow's (and her farmer's) path to freedom (published by Adelaide Books in New York and Lisbon). I wrote CINNAMON after spending time with a few cows at a dairy farm (and seeing how intelligent they are) and then, with my partner

This week, I thought I'd post a published excerpt from my novel in process, I AM the WOLF, a novel of ecology and rewilding . This excerpt, titled "The Wolves," is published in the academic journal Phenomenal Literature , Vol. 10 , based in India. The excerpt is recorded below for YouTube, and the text is pasted below that. The Wolves “The production of animal products for human consumption takes up much land that could be returned to its original wild natural state. Conside

Recently, I've been exploring the relationship between consciousness and physics. That is, I thought I was learning about consciousness. When I came across a paragraph from my novel CINNAMON, a dairy cow's (and her farmer's) path to freedom (Adelaide Books -- New York & Lisbon), that I picked out for my vegan spirituality group, I realized that consciousness has been with me all along. This brief excerpt from CINNAMON is recorded below on YouTube. The text is pasted below th

I usually ignore insults hurled at me online. After all, I have plenty of experience fielding harassment. Most often, it's for my novel THEY, a biblical tale of secret genders. Occasionally, I get insulted because I am vegan. The last comment I received gave me pause. "That's rich," I said to my partner. "A self-identified MAGA person accusing me of being in a cult." This made me consider the definitions of "cult" and "culture." Isn't the Western Diet based on a cult funded b

This week, I thought I'd post a very short excerpt from my novel THEY, a biblical tale of secret genders (Adelaide Books; New York & Lisbon). The video is posted below, and under that is the text. I've been revisiting this novel because it is so often harassed, which tells me that the novel is still needed and is striking nerves. I've been told on numerous occasions that I'm "going to hell" and that my message is "disgusting." Each time that I've been harassed, the result is

One of the life-changing things that I've experienced since becoming vegan, is a profound connection with the animals, who unfortunately, for the most part, are considered food. I was delighted to learn about Unchained TV, which is run by a vegan and animal rights activist with a background in the mainstream media. So far, I've watched the reality show "Pig Little Lies" in which a pig is reintroduced to the father of her piglets. I also watched a show about rescued chickens a

In light of the season and in testament to the fact that religion belongs to EVERYONE, I thought I would post a short excerpt from my novel THEY, a biblical tale of secret genders (Adelaide Books; New York & Lisbon). You can click on the YouTube video below to hear me read the excerpt, and you can read the text that I pasted below. "You're acting like a baby, and we already have a baby," said Zerah, holding up one of the larger figurines. "Now it's time to wrap the REAL baby

I am reposting this talk that I gave to mark the occasion of Hanukkah. The talk was a Unitarian Universalist (UU) service that was called “Ringing in the Light.” I talked about my childhood memories of being touched by Hanukkah and my experiences in celebrating the Winter Solstice and with the Gnostic Gospels. You can see my words below on the YouTube video or read the reflection below that. (a UU talk I gave seven years ago) As far back as I can remember, the light beckoned.

This morning, I participated in a Unitarian Universalist service on Buddhism and contributed a short reflection and meditation. My talk is below on YouTube, and the text is pasted underneath. As a practicing Buddhist and a Unitarian, I’ve come to the conclusion that religion is like breath: it belongs to everyone. As I’ve said in print about my novel, THEY, a biblical tale of secret genders,  “the evangelicals don’t own religion—even if they think they do.” Hope is associated

Note: I am re-blogging this in honor of World AIDS Awareness Day, which was on December 1st 2025. Every now and then comes that rare book that brings your life rushing back to you.  How To Survive A Plague: The Inside Story of How Citizens and Science Tamed AIDS  by David France (Knopf 2016) is one such book. The book chronicles the AIDS epidemic from the early 1980s – when the mysterious “gay cancer” started appearing — to 1995 when hard-won advancements in research and phar

I thought I'd do a post on ThanksLiving today. Since we've been vegan (before actually becoming vegan), we have attended a local Thanksliving event — a vegan community potluck honoring the animals, including the human ones. The post is below: As Thanksgiving approaches, I want to emphasize the importance of reinventing tradition. This particular tradition is fraught with horrible origins. To read my review of Joy Harjo’s memoir, Poet Warrior , click here. For the animals, fo

This week, I thought I'd repost a review I did of Joy Harjo's memoir, Poet Warrior. The text of the review is below, below the YouTube videos of Joy playing the flute and then one of me reading the review. I was going to say Happy Thanksgiving -- but even that is something to think about. I’ve long followed the work of Joy Harjo—far before she was Poet Laureate of the United States. When I discovered that she had a recent memoir called Poet Warrior (2021; W.W. Norton & Comp

This week, I thought I would post a short review of my novel CINNAMON, a dairy cow's (and her farmer's) path to freedom that was published by The Prairies Review . The reviewer reflects on the end of the book where the farmer turns her family farm into a sanctuary, "a place of peace for Cinnamon, Spice, and their herd to live safely." Living safely--isn't that what we all want? The video below features me reading the review, and the text is pasted below that. Heartfelt, thoug

In the interest of continuing to connect my past with my present, I am posting a poem from my collection a woman alone that I wrote twenty-five years ago when I was on a pilgrimage to the poet Sappho's homeland in Lesvos, Greece. Sappho was a lesbian poet who lived around 600 BCE. I just read a quote on mindfulness that you cannot embrace the present without claiming who and where you came from. Seems appropriate. The text of the poem is below the video from YouTube. a woman