Adventures in publishing: news and noteworthiness
I’m excited to announce that my book, “Buffalo Steel” will be published by Black Rose Writing, this August. The book is a coming of age story that is rooted in the post-Industrial culture of Buffalo, NY after the closing of Bethlehem Steel forced thousands out of work, changing the Queen City’s social and economic stature … Read more
Responsible reporting in the age of social media: where does the line lie?
Two different twitter feeds rolled on two devices this afternoon, as I tried to balance my personal horror at the explosions at the Boston Marathon and my professional responsibility to report on what had happened. Conflicting reports clamored for attention as I kept one eye on my personal account @eschumer and the other on my … Read more
The universality of weather
March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb in those truisms none of us believe, although we love to repeat them. I heard it at least once a day at my newspaper job: The tinkle of the door, then the rush of noise from outside, then the door clicking shut behind … Read more
The words we can’t say
“I never used to go to the doctor on the regular but ever since mmmmm, you know, I’ve been better about it.” He stared at his own lap, at his hands in his lap, at the floor beneath all of them that was sturdier than any of us. We nodded and chuckled uneasily, hiding our … Read more
The writer’s life: on Regina Spektor, travel and change
I have tried to write a blog post about my travel experiences for days now, but all my words seem trite and obvious. That’s what travel does, I think. It removes the body from one’s own context, and in doing so, separates the mind from them, as well. My body has been in so many … Read more
How are you earning your piece of planet?
Beauty is all around you. Live with open eyes. Sometimes, the speed of our society makes me want to take a nap. We are all mired in this constant race, and my feet are tired. Every day, we run against the clock, each other and ourselves. Work harder, faster, longer. Publish more, more, more. Collect … Read more
The shapes and forms of language
The street signs are in French. I don’t read French. My GPS lost signal the second I crossed the border, and I have never been good at interpreting printed maps. As my car hurtled down the rural highway toward Montreal, I recalled another time I lost myself in a culture I couldn’t understand. Paris, 2007. … Read more
Own your rebellion
I wrote a guest blog post for Minera Rising, a literary magazine I contributed to several months ago. The topic was “rebellion” and, although I didn’t choose the photo, I think it compliments the content very well. Here’s the link to the blog, where it appears on Minerva Rising’s site. The rebellion I discuss in … Read more
Balancing act: addressing illness and disability in literature and media
Remember Lurlene McDaniel? When I was in elementary and middle school, I couldn’t get enough of her books. For those who missed this 90s pre-teen phenomenon, McDaniel specialized in what the Daily Mail has recently dubbed “sick lit,” books about terminally ill kids and teenagers, or those whose friends or family members experienced cancer, diabetes, suicide, … Read more
The luxury of happenstance
Today, I took a much-needed writing break in the form of a field trip to Burlington, VT. Because ”preparation” rarely appears in my lexicon, I only decided to take this little jaunt last night around 11 o’clock and did about as much planning as anyone can do in the hour before I went to bed … Read more
