Don’t get me started because you’ll never get me to stop-oops, too late! — The very existence of libraries affords the best evidence that we may yet have hope for the future of man. T.S.Eliot I am crazy for libraries. I love a library with marble steps, giant portraits of founders, stone pillars, a fountain, carved mahogany circulation desk, and a bathroom with toilet…

Photoshoots and editorial meetings are fun when we are in charge — Jane and I met on the Bridge of Flowers last weekend for a photoshoot in preparation for the launch of our new publication Karen and Jane’s 100 Words for 100 Days Challenge. It was early evening and most of the tourists were gone. The river danced and sparkled, flowing slowly…

New year, new beginnings — Happy New Year to us! Here we are entering another year in crisis- global pandemic, war, famine, environmental catastrophe. How are we gonna find a way to keep going forward? How are we going to set things right? I wish I had the answers. All I have to offer is…

I Dance in Libraries with a Snake — I am happy, a dancer, and a mom. I perform in schools, libraries and at cultural events as Hadama Seshat. American Cabaret style belly dancers choose a stage name that reflects their aesthetic or higher calling. When I joined The Crescent Dancers in 2002, I needed a name. My screen…

Even though I never considered myself a hardcore alcoholic, quitting improved my life in so many ways — Several years ago, when I mentioned to the manager of the local bar that I had taken a bartending course while I was in college, he asked if I would mind taking over his Monday night shift during wrestling season since he was coach of a high school team. …

You can be the change you want to see in the world, in small and big ways — The definition of a Patriot is someone who loves, and is devoted to their country. Growing up in the sixties and seventies, I developed a negative connotation with the word because it conjured in my mind flag-waving, war-positive, unquestioning “our country is better than yours” types. My mom, who moved…

Glimmers, like silver minnow scales flash with hope — The words, “Come home to Rowe,” ricocheted around Alec’s brain, lighting up the sluggish gray matter like a switch had been flipped. Small sparks of fiery energy were coursing through his entire being in a strange but not unpleasant way. His life had been on hold the last few years…

Glimmers, like silver minnow scales flash with hope — His mouth was dry, his head pounded, and he wished he was dead. Alec sat on the edge of his bed, ran his shaky hands through his greasy hair and tried not to puke. His skin was clammy and his stomach lurched at the very thought of coffee. He picked…

The Rowe Center helped me grow up to be a Happy Dancer Mom —