Memoir
Gobsmacked
Gobsmacked, a memoir of childhood trauma, sexual assault and an abusive marriage, illuminates the power of love, forgiveness, self-reflection and a living spirituality. A sojourn through bits and pieces of Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism, this book, inspired by nature, synchronicity, and the mystic, offers solace to the millions of readers who have left religion. (about 65,700 words)
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Excerpts:
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On the way home from Saint Mark’s Church we stopped at the Vons grocery store on Sunset Boulevard and picked out glazed crullers and a hefty Los Angeles Times. At home Elizabeth and I capped off this ritual by joining our father on the couch in the living room. Our feet dangled far above the polished, dark, wooden floor and with the faint smell of milk, sugar and yeast on our breath we tentatively leaned in next to him, and learned to read, thanks to Nancy, Blondie and Peanuts. It was the best part of being my father’s daughter.
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According to my mother’s medical records she saw Jesus stretched out in the back of a station wagon that was parked in front of our house. I like to imagine it this way: The car was definitely a suburban artifact,1950s turquoise, fins at the back, and trashed out from the kids with their tuna sandwiches and lost crayons. Through the dog smudges on the inside of the windows my mother would have watched Jesus sleeping peacefully amidst the ephemera. I’d like to say, hang ten, Jesus, child of God, you’ve carried the heavy load of hope. Time for a nap.
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A collection of sun bleached buoys hung along the fence line; the faded blues and oranges hinted of the charm of a by-gone era. Decay was in the wooden deck chairs and the pathways that wound haphazardly about; the smells drifted up as I walked on mint, sage, decomposing apples, and scattered dried rose petals. The bumpy, craggy boardwalk that led to the verdant, salty marsh reminded that no matter what one was—rock, mineral, plant, animal, or human, we were all just passing through.
High School Dispatch
Using the canvas of a typical public school this memoir, through my students’ lives reveals the myriad of ways public education is deeply flawed and entrenched in wider societal issues. In spite of an excellent teaching staff and high test scores, class, income inequality, racism, mental health, and social media engulf the students. Readers will ask: how could these things happen in that school, and what does this say about us as a society? (about 27,000 words)
Excerpts:
Scene Girls
The “scene girls” wore costumes of bright flowers, glitter, pretty bows, purple lipstick, tall ratted hair, with swept bangs; they were warm and friendly, and just a slightly different version of a 1970s flower child. Sweet; they wanted everyone to get along. In ones and twos, they stood gently laughing in the hallways, like haikus of hope.
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Out of Meds
Hannah swung her legs back and forth at a fast pace. She bunched her sweater up into a pile and placed it on her head like it was a hat. She began to sing. She could have been Carmen Miranda. It was the end of the month. Out of her ADHD meds again.
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Incognito
One day, after school let out, a young man wearing shades and a baseball cap sauntered into my room, touched my desk, and nodded to me. “I came to make amends for being a jerk,” he said. I looked up at him and before I could say anything he had turned and wandered away.
