My latest essay, Close to the Clouds, was published by Modern Loss today.  It means so much to me to have this story out in the world, as it is both a tribute to my late husband's love of the outdoors, and also the story of hiking his ashes up our beloved Saddleback Mountain last summer.

One of my oldest poet-friends has a beautiful book of poetry forthcoming this fall. Brendan Todt and I met many years ago at Knox College through our mutual interests in poetry and soccer. From the very beginning I have always been in awe of the beauty and honesty in his poems and I can remember on more than one occasion thinking: someday I want to write poems this delicate and compelling, of this caliber. And now, his lovely book is on its way into the world!  Please consider supporting this dear friend and wonderful poet by pre-ordering The Idea of Leaves within the Dying Tree. You can visit Brendan's website here and order the book here.

My latest essay, When the Firsts Just Keep Coming, was published last week on The Mid. It seems to be a common misconception that the "firsts" of widowhood (or any grief, really) are primarily those that happen during that first, tempestuous year. In reality, while some of those more prominent firsts are indeed tough (birthdays, holidays, anniversaries and the like), there are many other firsts that keep coming along long after the one-year mark, many of which you simply never see coming. This essay explores that reality.