Roanoke Regional Writers Conference 2010
Keynote speech.
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A Summer Mantra
When I was little, the nighttime drone of our window fan propelled me out
of the heat and into my dreams.
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Alone At Last
Just me and my husband, for the first time in years. Let the witty banter
begin.
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Bed Bath and Broke
A massive conspiracy: Bed Bath & Beyond and colleges.
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The Best and the Brightest
Defending my-son-the-geek, or, God help you if you're not an athlete and you're a student in a public high school.
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[mp3]
Big Brother Discount
Big Brother may know my medical history and my driving record, but dammit, he doesn't get my grocery list.
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Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?
People are buying Burberry trenchcoats for their dogs, and I can't afford a cup of coffee.
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The China Syndrome
My son is getting married: how can we trust him with china when he broke every toy he ever got?
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Confessions of a Video Trollop
We are the last middle-class family in America that doesn't have cable TV.
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Controlled Substance
Possession of oregano with intent to distribute. I'm guilty.
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Festival of the Book 1999
A hungry writer masters the art of the power schmooze in Charlottesville.
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[real audio]
Finishing School
After a year in Paris I have to go home. Or do I?
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Fox Fever
How did "fox"get to be a classy name for a neighborhood?
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Gods 'n' Generals
Suffice it to say that there was a whole lot of shooting going on and Stonewall Jackson dies in the end.
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Heart, Beat
The night my heart stopped.
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High-Class Anxiety
My daughter can go to any college she wants, as long as it's Virginia
Tech.
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Inside, Over Here
Is it a boy, or a girl? Ultrasound whispers the answer -- and then some.
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Intelligent Life
A life-long radio fan extends the search for intelligent life out into the universe:
"SETI-at-Home" and I search for ET using my trusty iMac.
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Journey To The East
Confessions of a middle-aged fan of the Dave Matthews Band.
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Lights Out, Everybody
Curfews: An early-bird conspiracy.
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[mp3]
No-Guilt Ice Cream
A free pint of ice cream or $100? Decisions, decisions.
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Movie Marathon
The Virginia Film Festival: How many movies can I cram into four days?
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[real audio] [mp3]
Musical Monkey on my Back
When does pleasure lead to obsession? When my husband says it does.
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My Hiding Place
I've always found it hard to take a break from the world. But then I found opera.
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NaNoWriMo
I have just one month to come up with a 50,000-word novel. It doesn't
have to be good enough, it just has to be long enough.
[text] [mp3]
A Night At The Opera
My first opera, La Bohème. A whole new world.
[text] [Word]
The Perfect Soapdish
Okay, so I can't stop terrorists from knocking down skyscrapers and
distributing Anthrax like evil fairy dust - but I WILL control my own
bathroom.
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Pond Scum
My son's getting married -- I'd better clean up the house before the relatives arrive.
Do I have to clean the scum off the pond, too?
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Pre-Election Stress Disorder
My husband is saying, "Put down the mouse - step away from the
computer!" but there's just one more analysis about polling results I want to
check on...okay, and maybe one more after that...and did you hear about the NASA
imaging expert who says Bush really was wearing a wire?
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Preparing for Bird Flu...
...when our new national motto appears to be "Every Man for Himself"
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Quack
Political candidates are braying about "family values." Somebody make them stop!
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Radio Redemption
How the NPR broadcast of Nine Lessons and Carols saves me from myself every Christmas Eve.
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A Revolting Development
Take a hike, developers! You're ruining the countryside.
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Should I Take A Bow?
My kids are leaving home, just when I'm starting to get the hang of this motherhood thing.
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Silent Meeting
My first time at a Quaker meeting. No preacher - nothing but silence. Yikes.
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Silent Rebellion
Just because we're Catholic doesn't mean we buy the whole package.
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Stars and Stripes...Forever
If I burn my American flag, will I go to Hell?
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Taste Matters
Why do all American-made éclairs suck?
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Tandem Graduation
I should be happy: My youngest just graduated from high school. What's wrong with me?
[text] [mp3]
Thanksgiving: 1973
An American in Paris translates Thanksgiving from turkey to communal M&Ms.
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[real audio] [mp3]
Thy Neighbor's Goods
They have more money and better taste than I do.
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Turn Off The Lights
Light pollution in my own backyard.
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Variations on a Theme
Who put the birdseed in the chocolate chip cookies?
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The View From In Here
Attention Deficit Disorder is a whole other world.
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A Virtual Undertaking
Restoring old family photos on my computer has become an obsession.
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The Waltons Go To South Park
Psst! I like South Park and watch it with my kids. Don't tell anybody.
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We Got It
Yeah, yeah, the YEAR 2000. Just call it 2000, we'll understand.
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What Heartbreak Feels Like
Yikes. It's enough to make a Big Bird cry.
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What Would Jesus Do?
Jesus would let the air out of his tires.
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A Yankee Fantasy
I love the mountains of Virginia, but long to inhale the salt air of New England's rocky coast.
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