Madeira Mondays: “No Man is an Island” by John Donne

Howdy folks! It’s been a couple of months. I was surprised to see that my last post was in March. It’s now June. Oof, time flies. There’s been a lot on my mind, and I’ve been meaning to post, but, between teaching responsibilities and working on a new novel, I just…haven’t.

I must admit: the year started off a little gloomy for me. Back towards the start of the year, my sci fi novel almost sold…then it didn’t. This, in and of itself, was disappointing. Hopefully the book will sell to another publisher. My agent is confident; I am optimistic. But my personal disappointment was compounded by a general feeling of malaise, even helplessness, at the political situation in my home country of the US. Sometimes I still feel shocked, or speechless, at all that’s happened or that I fear might happen (just now as I write this in a coffee shop: there’s a table next to mine where they’re discussing the administration’s recent moves to revoke Harvard’s ability to enroll international students).

Continue reading

Madeira Mondays: A period film about periods?

A couple weeks ago, a friend of mine came to Edinburgh for a visit and suggested that we watch Lena Dunham’s movie Catherine Called Birdy. She knew I’d enjoy the movie because a) it’s historical fiction b) it’s a comedy c ) it’s about sassy young ladies. She was right, of course. I did like the movie. But not just because it ticked all of those boxes. I liked the film because it was actually funny and warm and kind of quietly transgressive in a way I wasn’t expecting.

Continue reading