Me in front of Darby Meeting House in 2019. My ancestor was kicked out of Darby Monthly Meeting, as were John Bartram, and John James Pearson. Fornication, disbelief in the Holy Trinity, and fighting in the American Revolution were all big Quaker no-nos over the years. Quaker disownment fascinates me. In the genealogical research I’veContinue reading "“Membership Discontinued” or the 5 Best Ways to Get Kicked out of Quaker Meeting"
Chicken Soup!
Dear Friends, I am very excited to have my story, “The Feast of the Seven Quiches” published in this year’s Chicken Soup for the Soul: the Spirit of Christmas! The book is widely available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club and a number of other retailers, large and small. My story talks aboutContinue reading "Chicken Soup!"
“In my whole Life, my Patience was never so near being totally exhausted:” John Adams walks a reverse Camino…
The highlight of my busy summer was walking the Camino de Santiago in June. For 10 days, I walked with a church group from Sarria to Santiago, 110 kilometers or 68 miles. We had beautiful, cool weather, and I met pilgrims from all over the world completing the same walk, or longer ones. The CaminoContinue reading "“In my whole Life, my Patience was never so near being totally exhausted:” John Adams walks a reverse Camino…"
Poetry and Silence
Dear Friends, It’s the last day of Poetry Month! When I was a young person, I wrote a lot of poetry. The first couple of years that I lived in New York, I wrote a ton. Everything was new to me and I looked for a way to process it. Having a job I couldContinue reading "Poetry and Silence"
History Camp and Why it Matters
Not History Camp: Rebels and Redcoats at Old Sturbridge Village a week earlier. I think these are the folks from Lexington! Dear Friends, I recently returned from a weekend at History Camp. History Camp?? My Instagram posts now get posted to Threads (where I’m a very occasional visitor), but right away people had questions: What’sContinue reading "History Camp and Why it Matters"
Texas…has a textbook in it
Dear Friends, If you recall, I began writing a novel set in Maryland this year. I’m enjoying the Quaker Woman’s Cookbook and I’ve been making my way through “The Annals of Sandy Spring.” These original sources are fantastic, but if you’re a person of a certain age, you may recall taking “state history,” most oftenContinue reading "Texas…has a textbook in it"
Silence, or Six Weeks without a Smartphone
Dear Friends, I have completed another smartphone fast! I wrote this article after last year's fast. I'll update you on this year's discoveries at the end. February I tell myself I “don’t spend much time online,” and that I’m “not influenced by online advertising.” But tonight, I’m huddled on a damp, dark hill, standing byContinue reading "Silence, or Six Weeks without a Smartphone"
The Quaker Woman’s Cookbook, or so it begins…with a pound cake
The pound cake: a simple egg, butter, and flour cake (one pound each), but here’s the thing about it: it can absorb all sorts of ingredients: lemon, vanilla, nutmeg, rose water, oranges. While the blandness of the pound cake suggests the blandness of mid-20th Century American food with all traces of “ethnicity” pounded out ofContinue reading "The Quaker Woman’s Cookbook, or so it begins…with a pound cake"
Do you ever wish you lived in a cave with Friends?
“Well, here we are,” Charity says. Ibbie and Ezra stand outside what appears to be a cave. Our home? Are we to live in a cave? Ibbie quickly puts a friendly face back on, but her mind is racing. "How does everything seem to thee?" Charity asks, smiling at Ezra. More white hair falls fromContinue reading "Do you ever wish you lived in a cave with Friends?"
What not to wear (Historical Novel Society Edition)
I live in t-shirts and athletic pants and the fanny pack I swore I'd never wear is now a permanent feature. What would I wear to a historical writing conference in Texas?
A Revolution for the Rest of Us: 15 Books about the American Revolution with a Quaker, Black, LGBTQIA+ or Kid-focus you may not have read (but I’ve read them for you!)
Dear Friends, When I was growing up, books about the American Revolution were mostly like this: I am sorry if this one was your favorite! Apart from the occasional (and excellent) My Brother Sam is Dead, I didn’t read many books where I saw myself as a person affected, disaffected, participating, or even by-standing duringContinue reading "A Revolution for the Rest of Us: 15 Books about the American Revolution with a Quaker, Black, LGBTQIA+ or Kid-focus you may not have read (but I’ve read them for you!)"