I am an author, teacher, manuscript consultant, and guest speaker. I write to turn voices from my community into poetry and fiction—to embrace diversity and capture the beauty of people around me. I h...

A Look at How Birthdays Are Celebrated

Nothing gets us in trouble more as a writer than misusing punctuation. A misplaced comma can often change the meaning of what we are saying and confuse our readers. To help you understand the basic ru...

"Shifting the Bowl" A Short Story by Chris Pepple ©2006          I shifted the bowl on my coffee table so I could dust and get ready for the evening.  Six couples from my husband’s new firm were coming by for dessert and I knew they would come down and watch TV.  I had three hours left to get the pies ready and eat a light dinner. 

Dialogue writing is very challenging. When I edit books or consult on manuscripts, it’s one of the first things that I usually have to go through and change. Biggest mistakes I see:  • The dialogue is...

Find multicultural, LGBTQ+ affirming, and inclusive books for all ages.

A Poem Exploring Identity

Notes from a Teacher and Mom

Tens of thousands of protesters mustered in cities and towns across the country on Saturday to sound off against the Trump administration.

A Journey of Healing and Love

the elements of life the building blocks of life start so small… elements we cannot see that link together to turn the simple into the complex, the atom into the molecule into the structure into life… we rose from the nothingness to find we are living organisms breathing, growing, changing from the basic elements that we deem essential but we look inward…

This week, Stacey Abrams speaks to Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, who speaks unabashedly about why Democrats must strive to reach more Americans, how he approaches working across the aisle on issu...