Author Archives: Kathy

I met someone yesterday who said I had a cool job — teaching Latin. That reaction is a little unusual. Though many people say how much they love Latin or make a positive but somewhat inaccurate remark, such as, “That’s the … Continue reading →

My daughter recently visited the College of Wooster with forty-some students from Bronx Preparatory Charter School, where she teaches, all of them African-American or Latino. Wooster is a small town about 90 minutes south of Cleveland. It’s in farm country, and Margaret … Continue reading →

John recently bought me a tape (used…discarded by the library) of Patti Smith’s Dream of Life. I loved her recent memoir Just Kids and have been listening to her a lot. The first song, “People Have the Power,” seems to … Continue reading →

Mrs. Morgan, my tenth-grade English teacher, was near retirement age in 1967, white-haired, lively, and enthusiastic. She smiled a lot. She loved teaching and loved teaching writing. She told me I was a good writer. Maybe she said the same to … Continue reading →

On the rare occasions I shake hands with someone whose hands are even colder than mine, I realize what an unpleasant experience it is. “Icicle” and “dead fish” come to mind. Unfortunately, my frigid fingers are usually subjecting another person … Continue reading →