Happy Earth Day, Earthlings! Today is Earth Day. If you were born before 1965 or so, you probably remember a time when there was no such thing. It was a time of smoky bars, choking smog, and Superfund sites masquerading as playgrounds, among other things. Rivers regularly caught on fire. The Cuyahoga River Caught Fire at Least a Dozen Times, but No One Cared Until 1969…

Happy Earth Day, Earthlings!

Today is Earth Day. If you were born before 1965 or so, you probably remember a time when there was no such thing. It was a time of smoky bars, choking smog, and Superfund sites masquerading as playgrounds, among other things. Rivers regularly caught on fire. The…

In A Drop "You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.” — Rumi * * * Photo by frank mckenna on Unsplash

In A Drop

"You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.” — Rumi * * * Photo by frank mckenna on Unsplash

Countervailing Beauty Mondays* are not great. (Gross exaggeration, but it feels true. Especially on a Monday.) So here’s a dose of beauty to help balance out the blah. Out Among the Cherry Blossoms Recent images of people enjoying themselves on warm spring days, among groves of flowering cherry-blossom trees in cities and parks across the Northern Hemisphere Even Darth Vader made an appearance! * Or whichever day marks the start of your work week! * * * Photo by Jin Gong on Unsplash

Countervailing Beauty

Mondays* are not great. (Gross exaggeration, but it feels true. Especially on a Monday.) So here’s a dose of beauty to help balance out the blah. Out Among the Cherry Blossoms Recent images of people enjoying themselves on warm spring days, among groves of flowering…

Comet C/2025 R3 PanSTARRS NASA reminded me that we have a new, if transitory, neighbor in the skies overhead. The comet PanSTARRS is making a quick visit and tonight is the closest it will come to the sun. APOD- 2026 April 18 – PanSTARRS and Planets This is a good weekend for northern hemisphere comet watchers to try to catch PanSTARRS an hour or so before sunrise, as the comet grows brighter approaching its perihelion on April 19.

Comet C/2025 R3 PanSTARRS

NASA reminded me that we have a new, if transitory, neighbor in the skies overhead. The comet PanSTARRS is making a quick visit and tonight is the closest it will come to the sun. APOD- 2026 April 18 – PanSTARRS and Planets This is a good weekend for northern hemisphere…

Just a Thought "Never try to discourage thinking, for you are sure to succeed.” — Bertrand Russell * * * Photo by Liz Sanchez-Vegas on Unsplash

Just a Thought

"Never try to discourage thinking, for you are sure to succeed.” — Bertrand Russell * * * Photo by Liz Sanchez-Vegas on Unsplash

Safe Travels, Winners! Congratulations to the latest class of Writers & Illustrators of the Future winners! Their workshop week in LA just ended and I’m sure they are chock full of interesting observations and ideas for future projects. They will certainly have met some terrific fellow artists and had a fascinating experience. (I’m also betting they're exhausted because that week is intense, but they can sleep on the way home!)

Safe Travels, Winners!

Congratulations to the latest class of Writers & Illustrators of the Future winners! Their workshop week in LA just ended and I’m sure they are chock full of interesting observations and ideas for future projects. They will certainly have met some terrific fellow artists and…

Wish for a Busy Day

Less focus on study and more on hehe. — Ilona Andrews * * * Photo by Mieke Campbell on Unsplash

Tax Day the First A brief reminder: Today is tax day in the United States! (Canada’s day comes later to extend the fun.) If you’ve finished your taxes, bravo. And if you have a little time for reading and relaxation, let me once again recommend David Hankins’ very funny book, Death and the Taxman! After sharing an ill-advised cup of tea with IRS auditor Frank Totmann, Grim finds himself trapped in Frank’s life amid a world of dangers: love, betrayal, reckless cabbies, implacable demon hunters, and the incessant needs that keep his body ticking . . . for now. * * * Photo by StellrWeb on Unsplash

Tax Day the First

A brief reminder: Today is tax day in the United States! (Canada’s day comes later to extend the fun.) If you’ve finished your taxes, bravo. And if you have a little time for reading and relaxation, let me once again recommend David Hankins’ very funny book, Death and the Taxman!…

Be Tenacious "The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity.” — Amelia Earhart * * * Photo by Rachel Penney on Unsplash

Be Tenacious

"The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity.” — Amelia Earhart * * * Photo by Rachel Penney on Unsplash

Why Stop? A little advice from Guardian columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith, to an artist feeling the pressures of AI and social media. With the advance of AI, I feel my work as an artist is no longer respected. Should I just give up? “Should I keep making art?” Even though it might not make money? Even though the algorithm might not value it? Even though all around me the slop marches on, I feel a growing carelessness in the culture, an indifference to craft – should I keep making art? To that, you might well answer: why would I stop?” What she said. * * * Photo by Mike Fox on Unsplash

Why Stop?

A little advice from Guardian columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith, to an artist feeling the pressures of AI and social media. With the advance of AI, I feel my work as an artist is no longer respected. Should I just give up? “Should I keep making art?” Even though it might not make money?…

Today Is… Today is lemon madeleines, almond apricot madeleines, and giant brown butter chocolate chip cookies. Ambitious? Yes. Have I accumulated one oven burn and an unexpected trip to the store so far? Yep! But I’m making progress, and that’s my goal. Hope your day is also sweet! * * * Photo by LAUREN GRAY on Unsplash

Today Is…

Today is lemon madeleines, almond apricot madeleines, and giant brown butter chocolate chip cookies. Ambitious? Yes. Have I accumulated one oven burn and an unexpected trip to the store so far? Yep! But I’m making progress, and that’s my goal. Hope your day is also sweet! * * * Photo…

Welcome Home, Explorers! Hooray! * * * NASA / Josh Valcarcel

Welcome Home, Explorers!

Hooray! * * * NASA / Josh Valcarcel

It’s That Time! Today is the day, folks, when our friendly neighborhood astronauts make their (hopefully trouble-free) return to our home planet. As we wait for splashdown, anticipated to be just after 8pm EDT tonight, here is an interactive look at What’s Inside NASA’s Mission Control. And to save you from tracking down one of the many (many) space-themed Artemis links I’ve put up over the past couple of days, you can watch tonight’s homecoming here starting at 6:30pm EDT! NASA’s Artemis II Crew Comes Home (Official Broadcast) | NASA+ * * * NASA Crescent Earth Over Lunar Horizon

It’s That Time!

Today is the day, folks, when our friendly neighborhood astronauts make their (hopefully trouble-free) return to our home planet. As we wait for splashdown, anticipated to be just after 8pm EDT tonight, here is an interactive look at What’s Inside NASA’s Mission Control. And to…

Follow the Music Home Am I still on the space train? I am, because the story is optimistic and nerdy and cool.  You may have heard that the Artemis II astronauts are getting wake-up songs from Mission Control. If you’ve wondered what those songs are, here you go! All the Wake-up Songs Astronauts on Artemis II Have Heard So Far Each morning, the flight crew is awoken by a song, hand-picked by Mission Control specialists back home on Earth.

Follow the Music Home

Am I still on the space train? I am, because the story is optimistic and nerdy and cool.  You may have heard that the Artemis II astronauts are getting wake-up songs from Mission Control. If you’ve wondered what those songs are, here you go! All the Wake-up Songs Astronauts…

Grounding the Reader Every writer has strengths and... not strengths. One of the areas I personally like to work on is grounding, which is where you invite readers into a scene and help them feel at home in your story.  In this episode of the long-running podcast Writing Excuses, Erin Roberts, DongWon Song, and Mary Robinette Kowal focus on ways to do just that. 

Grounding the Reader

Every writer has strengths and... not strengths. One of the areas I personally like to work on is grounding, which is where you invite readers into a scene and help them feel at home in your story.  In this episode of the long-running podcast Writing Excuses, Erin Roberts,…

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Experts Have Thoughts Since my last week have been all about space, let’s take a break from the nonfiction drama of the Artemis II mission and shift over to the fictional world of space exploration. In his books, Andy Weir (The Martian) works hard to bring scientific accuracy to his fiction. The challenge is balancing the demands of a thrilling story with the science that grounds it in reality.

Experts Have Thoughts

Since my last week have been all about space, let’s take a break from the nonfiction drama of the Artemis II mission and shift over to the fictional world of space exploration. In his books, Andy Weir (The Martian) works hard to bring scientific accuracy to his fiction. The…

Road Trip! A quick update from the solar system’s coolest road trip: the Artemis II mission just set a new distance record, going farther into space than the Apollo 13 astronauts did in 1970.   Artemis II astronauts share their first images from the historic mission | CNN “There was a moment about an hour ago where Mission Control Houston reoriented our spacecraft as the sun was setting behind the Earth.

Road Trip!

A quick update from the solar system’s coolest road trip: the Artemis II mission just set a new distance record, going farther into space than the Apollo 13 astronauts did in 1970.   Artemis II astronauts share their first images from the historic mission | CNN “There was a moment about…

Here’s to Good Eggs What do we live for, if not to make life less difficult for each other? — George Eliot Happy Easter! * * * Photo by Taisiia Stupak on Unsplash

Here’s to Good Eggs

What do we live for, if not to make life less difficult for each other? — George Eliot Happy Easter! * * * Photo by Taisiia Stupak on Unsplash

Infinite Possibilities “It’s tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. It’s the possibility of infinite rebirth, infinite redemption.” ― Gabrielle Zevin * * * Photo by Alexandra Nicolae on Unsplash

Infinite Possibilities

“It’s tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. It’s the possibility of infinite rebirth, infinite redemption.” ― Gabrielle Zevin * * * Photo by Alexandra Nicolae on Unsplash

Permission Granted “I gave myself permission to care, because there are a lot of people in this world who are afraid of caring, who are afraid of showing they care because it’s uncool. It’s uncool to have passion. It’s so much easier to lose when you’ve shown everyone how much you don’t care if you win or lose. It’s much harder to lose when you show that you care, but you’ll never win unless you also stand to lose.

Permission Granted

“I gave myself permission to care, because there are a lot of people in this world who are afraid of caring, who are afraid of showing they care because it’s uncool. It’s uncool to have passion. It’s so much easier to lose when you’ve shown everyone how much you don’t care if…

We Have Liftoff! The Artemis II Orion spacecraft has launched, and the mission is underway! There is also a livestream from Orion itself (claustrophobes need not apply), but availability is spotty due to bandwidth and popularity. Because space! * * * Photo by NASA on Unsplash

We Have Liftoff!

The Artemis II Orion spacecraft has launched, and the mission is underway! There is also a livestream from Orion itself (claustrophobes need not apply), but availability is spotty due to bandwidth and popularity. Because space! * * * Photo by NASA on Unsplash

Fingers Crossed! NASA's Artemis II mission is (as of right now!) still a go. Here’s a site with a countdown to launch and a tracker for when it happens. Artemis II Mission Tracker | Live Orion 3D Timeline And here’s a video on the mission in case you didn’t get enough background material yesterday. And here are a couple of Artemis-themed games to play, just for fun: Artemis Game Hub Just over six hours now if all goes well. Fingers crossed! * * * Photo by NASA on Unsplash

Fingers Crossed!

NASA's Artemis II mission is (as of right now!) still a go. Here’s a site with a countdown to launch and a tracker for when it happens. Artemis II Mission Tracker | Live Orion 3D Timeline And here’s a video on the mission in case you didn’t get enough background material…

Artemis II, Take II The countdown has begun! Tomorrow is the first April launch date for the Artemis II flight. (If the weather or tech doesn’t cooperate, the mission will be pushed forward, so the next coupe of days could be interesting!) NASA's Artemis II Launch Mission Countdown Begins - NASA The countdown for NASA’s Artemis II test flight is underway at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with members of the launch team arriving at their consoles inside the Rocco Petrone Launch Control Center.

Artemis II, Take II

The countdown has begun! Tomorrow is the first April launch date for the Artemis II flight. (If the weather or tech doesn’t cooperate, the mission will be pushed forward, so the next coupe of days could be interesting!) NASA's Artemis II Launch Mission Countdown Begins - NASA…

First Things First This is one of those quotes I may have posted before, but I don’t see it in a search and (importantly) it’s the sort of advice you can’t hear too much of as a writer, I think! “If you’re going to be a writer, the first essential is just to write. Do not wait for an idea. Start writing something and the ideas will come. You have to turn the faucet on before the water starts to flow.” ― Louis L’Amour * * * Photo by Evan Sanchez on Unsplash

First Things First

This is one of those quotes I may have posted before, but I don’t see it in a search and (importantly) it’s the sort of advice you can’t hear too much of as a writer, I think! “If you’re going to be a writer, the first essential is just to write. Do not wait for an idea. Start…

Wait, Where’d the Weekend Go? “Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” ― William Penn * * * Photo by Jack Sharp on Unsplash

Wait, Where’d the Weekend Go?

“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” ― William Penn * * * Photo by Jack Sharp on Unsplash

Not Today! Those of us who support libraries, freedom, and history may find this project as fascinating as I did: The Uncensored Library. There are a lot of ways to preserve information now, and to send a message to the future. As I mentioned here a few years ago, you can write a letter to be delivered later with FutureMe…

Not Today!

Those of us who support libraries, freedom, and history may find this project as fascinating as I did: The Uncensored Library. There are a lot of ways to preserve information now, and to send a message to the future. As I mentioned here a few years ago, you can write a letter to be…

In Art and Life This quote is from a musician, but I think it applies to all artists and heck, to people in general. Be you! The only way you can move someone is by being someone. —Jacob Collier * * * Photo by Federico Giampieri on Unsplash

In Art and Life

This quote is from a musician, but I think it applies to all artists and heck, to people in general. Be you! The only way you can move someone is by being someone. —Jacob Collier * * * Photo by Federico Giampieri on Unsplash

Via Fiction or Fact This is for all those who take the world and mold it, via fiction or fact, into something creative and new. The most interesting inventions are those that haven’t worked yet. — Nathan Myrhvold * * * Photo by Johnny Briggs on Unsplash

Via Fiction or Fact

This is for all those who take the world and mold it, via fiction or fact, into something creative and new. The most interesting inventions are those that haven’t worked yet. — Nathan Myrhvold * * * Photo by Johnny Briggs on Unsplash