1. The other night I got home and turned on the benefit concert for fire victims in Los Angeles. I wanted to see if I might catch Stevie...

We are brilliant enough machines that we can sense when something is genuine. — Michael Stipe Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just...

In the spring of 2011, I was the last writer-in-residence at Marshall High School in Lents, a neighborhood in outer Southeast Portland. A...

Next year, University of Iowa Press will publish my second novel, The Tigers of Lents, which I worked on over the course of twelve years....

For twenty-eight years I’ve led creative writing workshops in public schools, and over that time I’ve witnessed, in classrooms, the...

Yesterday a neighbor cycled by as I was watering the trees. He stopped and we chatted for a while, and at length he mentioned the rising...

Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way. — E.L....

Jim Harrison’s poems often pierce me. He wrote with a clarity and bravery that cut to the Shimmering Center. Whenever I bring some of his...

Once a month I meet two friends for dinner. We pick a different place each time. I’ll call these guys Theo and Mac. This past Sunday,...

My son broke his wrist. We were skiing on Mount Hood, not far from Timberline Lodge. It was sunny and still cold just after lunch. I’d...

When delusions and lies spread across the land, we remain true to evidence. We vote on our ballots, and we vote through the daily doings...

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. - Annie Dillard We set out up the dry canyon, eyeing the mountain. A clear...

He’s a senior in high school, he’s black, and he works at Chipotle four evenings a week. He chops lettuce and tomatoes, grills steak. He...

This morning, as the dog and I walked after breakfast, the neighborhood streets were again quiet. Magnolia flowers ready to open. The...

Here in Portland, Oregon, in January, the days are short, grey, and wet. More rain this year than last, my goodness. Rain almost every...

Just finished writing a novel, after several years of work on it. Stacks of drafts surround this desk, the house is quiet, and after a...

I would advise anyone who aspires to a writing career that before developing his talent he would be wise to develop a thick hide. —...

Summer in sight. Tomatoes on their way. Time to slow down some, and here this afternoon, time to think about a few places on this planet...

Yesterday morning your mom and I walked with you beside the Metolius River. We’ve taken you there since you were little and riding on my...

Last night at dinner my son asked me, “When were you most scared?” “You mean, today?” “In your whole life.” We were eating pasta and...