I submitted a piece to a publication on Medium, and they further distributed it for syndication. I figured the exposure would only increase my earnings. Instead, someone else ended up making five times more than I earned from my own piece. So, I wrote to that publication — and (say what???) they paid me back for the money they’d made off my writing. Boom. — Note: Out of respect for the publications I speak of in this piece, I won’t mention their names, but I will tell you about the smackdown I just had with their publisher — as well as how that publisher responded. I’m sharing this experience because I never knew anything like…

Last week I learned I have a half-sister I never knew existed. How do I even begin to process this unexpected news? For now, all I can say is, thank God for writing. — For the past two weeks, I’ve been trying to process the unbelievable news. At 53 years old, I’ve just learned that I have a half-sister who is 18 months older than me. We plan to meet for the first time next month. With the rise in popularity of DNA kits…

This is my story. — Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat. Unfortunately, I’m not here to offer you advice on how to manage your finances as a freelancer or how to navigate tax time or how to keep your sanity as you juggle those circumstances. …

I’d never written a foreward before, and I had all sorts of questions. “Who am I to do this?” “What am I supposed to say?” “What if I don’t do it right?” Ultimately, I did it. Here’s how it all went down, with a step-by-step guide to write a meaningful foreward of your own. — As a memoir coach, I work with clients from across the world, helping them develop and write their personal stories. It’s my honor to establish a relationship of trust, listening to clients’ goals and encouraging them as they bring their remarkable messages to the page.

Amidst Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — and U.S. talks to ban Russian oil imports — here’s some backstory on women’s movements in the U.S. (1909) and Russia (1917) that led to International Women’s Day. — According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), International Women’s Day has roots going back 111 years, with women’s movements in the U.S. and Russia leading the charge.

As a writer, the pandemic forced me to re-examine my skills, my dreams, and my belief in myself. Women’s History Month reminds me that the self-reflection was worth it. — On February 4, 2020, I launched my cooperative workspace for women writers, called Writers’ Haven Evanston. Two weeks later, the pandemic hit, and I was forced to close its doors. Two years later, on February 28, 2022, I reopened the space to masked and vaxxed writers, just in time for…

Despite patrons’ concerns about safety and compliance, local health departments know that businesses have skirted mask mandates for quite some time. What can health departments do if and when another Covid wave hits? — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control announced today it’s easing Covid-19 mask mandates. I’d like to feel relieved, but I’m not quite there, yet. To be sure, data tells us things are trending in the right direction, and we’re certainly all TIRED of wearing masks. …

You already say this word all the time…but do you realize how powerful it really is? — You look around at your life and wonder, “Why does everyone else accomplish more than me? What’s the secret? What am I doing wrong?” …

The incident happened more than three years ago when I was 49 years old. I wrote this piece about it the next day. I described the details of my experience not only to process my own feelings, but also to offer parents and caregivers a sense of what an active shooter emergency feels like. At the end of my account, I’ve included statements from the college students with whom I hid. — Note: A version of the piece below was originally published on ChicagoNow on March 15, 2018.