Bookpage and Mother's Day

One of my fellow NEA fellows (who’s actually not a fellow but a gal), MiChelle Jones, wrote a nice blog about Mamarama today. It hadn’t even occurred to me that Mother’s Day is coming, and Mamarama would make a perfect present! Buy it here.

Porkies Residency

Two days of an outhouse?! I’ve been selected to be an artist in residence at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, which, as many of you know, is my favorite stomping grounds. Bud, Cole, and I will be there July 5 -18, living in a cabin in the woods, no running water or electricity. I’m anxious for the getaway, and thankful to be offered such a peaceful place to write.

I will have more exciting fellowship news for you soon … stay tuned.

Bela Lugosi's Dead

I was driving around with Cole the other day, enjoying being together after being separated for 13 days. He said, “By the way, I’m going goth.” I had to ask him a couple times to make sure I heard him right. He’s only 6, remember. Yes, apparently he’s decided to start wearing black clothes and ghostly makeup. I asked him where he got this idea from: school? His sister? TV? Finally, he admitted: He got it from me.

NEA, USC, M-O-U-S-E

Sorry, it’s a misleading headline. In fact, the NEA institute for theater writing was transcendent. Director Sasha Anawalt is a genius at casting and directing; she has the cutest, firmest stage manager in Captain Freckles (aka Arianna Sikorski); and the 23 fellows were a smart, creative ensemble. I can’t recommend this program enough. Though I have to say, the pace was grueling. Bravo! Encore!

Roni Size and LA

I’m in LA for 11 days for the NEA Arts Journalism Institute on Theater and Musical Theater Writing. It’s exhausting but amazing. Today we learned how to dance Bob Fosse style with an original Chorus Line dancer. Nicely, my Roni Size interview will be in the LA Times tomorrow; catch it online.