Reflections on discrimination and respect
The other day, I overheard a group of people discussing the presidential election. One of them, in a rather dismissive tone, said, “America will never elect a Black woman.” I …
In picking a president, ageism is a mistake
I was confused when I read David Ignatius’ column in The Washington Post on September 12. I thought perhaps the editors made a mistake when they titled it, “President Biden …
Old Ask a Poet Column
I hate living in Los Angeles, but I’ve been told that my film career will be best nurtured here. Another place calls me home, where I might suffer for my …
Chat GPT could be more useful than you think
Just for kicks, I asked Chat GPT to write an argument in favor of using Chat GPT to write papers. What followed was an itemized list, bookended by an introduction …
Ask a Poet
What do you tell parents of would-be poets who worry about their children’s ability to make a living writing sonnets?— Your father, Sierra Vista, ArizonaP.S. Do you want me to …
The Impracticality of Poets
I identify myself as a poet because I can’t do anything else. Really, I’ve tried. My journey to find a marketable skill took me all the way to Uzbekistan with …
CRT and the Buffalo Murders
The other day a relative of mine who lives in another city saw a woman outside the local school district office holding a sign saying, “No CRT.” My relative considered …
Ask a Poet
https://www.thesmartset.com/article11090901/ One of my old columns published by The Smart Set: Only poets read contemporary poetry books, and only poets go to poetry readings. If I become a poet, will …
Mother’s Don’t Have It Easy
Here’s my most recent column published by the Arizona Daily Star: https://tucson.com/opinion/local/local-opinion-mothers-day/article_8dde37d6-bb59-11ec-a71a-af9ecd0a4e0d.html It took me a while to realize how much I love my mother. Probably not unlike many, our …
Congrats, Class of 2020
On May 25, 1998, this paper printed a story entitled “Two Sierra Vista students die, a third hurt in I-10 rollover.” I was that third student. After spending a month …