Editorial Notes = clarifying information, additional insight, annotations Hiya Reader, I recently attended a wedding, and like many, the reception included numerous speeches/toasts from family and very close friends of the bride and groom. We've all been through drunken/embarrassing/horrifying speeches at such events, and while many of those shameful exhibits stick in my memory, this is not the vignette I want to share. Instead, I'll say this: if you are chosen to toast a couple on their...
23 days ago â˘Â 2 min read
Editorial Notes = clarifying information, additional insight, annotations Hiya Reader, I love my morning coffee. I NEED my morning coffee. My morning coffee is black, medium roast, and hot enough to shock me awake. I also enjoy tea, dark chocolate, the occasional soda of the brown fizzy variety. So, imagine my horror to learn that it is actually possible to die from caffeine consumption! (Granted, I don't come anywhere close to a toxic level of daily caffeine, but I nevertheless appreciated...
about 1 month ago â˘Â 2 min read
Editorial Notes = clarifying information, additional insight, annotations Hiya Reader, As a child of working parents in the seventies and eighties, I grew up on a steady diet of engineered, processed food. White bread âfortifiedâ with a fraction of the nutrients taken out in processing, carcinogenic pink bologna, square slices of âcheese foodâ glowing yellow-orange in plastic wrap. âRead the labels,â I taught my children. âIf you canât pronounce it, if it doesnât seem like a name for food,...
about 1 month ago â˘Â 2 min read
Editorial Notes = clarifying information, additional insight, annotations Hiya Reader, A dear friend of mine once observed that "there are really only 600 people in the world; the rest is done with smoke and mirrors." The older I become, and the more people I meet and talk to, the more this quip seems somehow true, even if not literally. Where would all that smoldering glass come from? I prefer my friend's observation to the more prosaic theory of six degrees of separation, though I have...
about 2 months ago â˘Â 4 min read
Editorial Notes = clarifying information, additional insight, annotations Hiya Reader, I'm old enough to remember when neither alcohol nor medications were advertised on television. The latter group of ads always makes me laugh when the announcer speeds through the disclaimers. They always remind me of this classic SNL spoof commercial for a children's toy with the ominous disclaimer: "Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball"! As a copy editor (and former aspiring law student with a deep love for rules),...
about 2 months ago â˘Â 4 min read
Editorial Notes = clarifying information, additional insight, annotations Hiya Reader, In my freshman year of high school, I remember a paper assignment for my English class â not the topic, but the writing process. This was a time before personal computers were really a thing (not before they existed, but a thing) so I wrote everything in longhand before typing up the full essay, whiteout correction fluid near at hand. (Sidebar, but relevant: You may or may not be surprised to know how many...
2 months ago â˘Â 5 min read
Editorial Notes = clarifying information, additional insight, annotations Hiya Reader, I'm back from my residency! I accomplished a short ton, failed to accomplish a metric ton, and learned a long ton. The TL;DR takeaway: If you've never experienced a residency, whether as a writing fellow or on a private retreat of your own design, put this activity on the top of your bucket list. The Studio Barn Let's get into it, shall we? Think a friend would appreciate Editorial Notes? Send them this...
2 months ago â˘Â 4 min read
Editorial Notes = clarifying information, additional insight, annotations Hiya Reader, The following issue is a reader favorite from the Editorial Notes archives, to keep your inbox company while Helene is on sabbatical at her writing fellowship. She'll be back next week with a new edition! I have no idea where it comes from, but I am attracted to unusual timepieces. As much as I collect anything tangible, I suppose I collect clocks. (Related: the Pomodoro Technique is helpful for many...
3 months ago â˘Â 4 min read
Editorial Notes = clarifying information, additional insight, annotations Hiya Reader, The following issue is a reader favorite from the Editorial Notes archives, to keep your inbox company while Helene is on sabbatical at her writing fellowship. On vacation when our children were tweens, my family of four chugged across the Virginia Piedmont in our beloved Volkswagen Westfalia Vanagon. If you aren't aware, these vehicles are huge, box-shaped, and heavy. They're designed for a life in the...
3 months ago â˘Â 5 min read