Essays

“Disappearing Act,” a piece about dealing with my mother's decline with Alzheimer's Disease, won the 2010 Northwest Perspectives Essay Contest and will be printed in the summer issue of the Oregon Quarterly.

“Rekindling the Heart” describes taking our 14-year-old son to Thailand for a month to volunteer in an orphanage. It was printed in the December 2003 issue of Mothering magazine.

“A Public Embrace” is about being the lesbian mother of a transgender daughter. It was printed as a guest editorial in the Register Guard, February 26, 2006.

“Rights of Passage” contrasts the experience of losing both my partner's mother and the family dog within the same year, touching on the difficult issues of euthenasia and the right to die. It was a finalist in the 2006 Northwest Perspectives Essay Contest.

“Domestic Warrior” describes my partner's and my joyous, if brief, foray into legal marriage. It was printed in the Summer 2004 issue of Oregon Quarterly.

“Piecing It Together” is a true-life ghost story about inexplicable phenomenon in a coastal rental and how this spirit-like encounter helped me solve a few mysteries of my own.

“Touched by Obama” describes my energizing, inspiring encounter with Barack Obama on his campaign trail stop in Eugene.

“Blindsided” tells the story of a parent's worst nightmare, and a slow road to recovery.

“Boy Tears” is an intimate piece about watching my sensitive son struggle in a rather ruthless high school environment. It was published (as "Tears") in Cup of Comfort for Mothers and Sons, 2004.

“Transport” is the painful recounting of having our 16-year-old son transported in the night to a rehab wilderness camp. “The One We Lost” is about my partner giving birth to our stillborn child, an experience made even more difficult by insensitive staff. A shorter version of this was printed in the anthology, Politics of the Heart, in 1991.