A Door to Another World
I have loved Jan Van Eyck’s riddling Arnolfini Wedding Portrait — beautiful and disturbing in equal measure — since I first laid eyes on it…
read moreMirror, Mirror on the Wall
Where are you, Jan Van Eyck? In the mirror’s reflection, you can see beyond the bride and groom, into an open doorway…
read moreJan Van Eyck Was Here
“Jan Van Eyck was here”: the presence promised by the artist’s riddling signature on the Arnolfini Portrait raises about as many questions as a Banksy…
read moreThe Power of Stories
Once again, as an election barrels toward us in the U.S., we desperately need stories of hope to outshine spreading tales of hatred and fear…
read moreThat Untraveled World
Occasional musings about stories, history, art, ideas, and journeys of the imagination: everything that makes me want to write…
read moreMy Advice to Writers
I’m often asked for advice on how to become a writer. The answer is to write. If you’re aiming at fiction, forget about “writing what you know”…
read moreNasty Woman
I am a proudly nasty, intelligent, educated, experienced, ambitious woman, and I believe in tolerance, generosity, kindness, science, historical fact, and basic manners: so today I got up and put on pants…
read moreThe Speckled Monster Cameos in a Presidential Debate
Senator Rand Paul gives a shout-out to The Speckled Monster during the Republican Presidential Debate, September 16, 2015
read moreEllen Terry as Lady Macbeth
“More like a mermaid than a queen”: The last time I saw John Singer Sargent’s great painting of Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth…
read moreRossetti’s Lady Lilith
“And round his heart one strangling golden hair”: Desire has always seemed a dangerous kind of magic…
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About My Blog
Occasional musings about stories, history, art, ideas, and the adventures of a writer's life...
