TreeHouseLetter

A Flag Day speech on the flag, the anthem, and those who serve in the armed forces.

About a soldier who wrote his own eulogy and a graveside visit. Toolbox for 9 to 99: a note on tense.

For twelve years I’ve been sharing books with you in this letter. Today I’m sharing my own. Raising Athena: A Mother and Daughter Attend West Point Thirty Years Apart. With three excerpts and reader comments.For military parents, veterans, and anyone who knows the weight of watching someone they love choose to serve. Signed Copies available. Visit my site book page: treehouseletter.com/raisingathena

On leadership and rhetoric. One book recommendation, one restaurant recommendation. A Goodreads Giveaway and book launch update.

Army Rugby Alumni Match in Aldie, VA. Bawdy ballad & Army songs. Poetry for emergencies. Ages 13 and up.

On the joy of unread books and an independent review as a debut author. Wordnerd Studio pickups IndieReader review & ratingGoodreads giveaway for Raising Athena

On publishing and writing craft today, and a first-of-its-kind book.

How a book becomes voice and the creative process

On travel, reading speed, and who's watching you. The military and unconventional skills. Bonus - book recommendation. Learn more at TreeHouseLetter.com

An ancient tale. Toolbox for writers: Murder your darlings.

"Sometimes I make things more complicated than they have to be." Learn about David Whyte's poem and a podcast on writing. Moreover, what is it you revere enough to pay daily homage?

Grief meets gratitude in a Queens market, a raw Thanksgiving letter, and how writing can create a kind of Deja Vu. Michelle Zauner, CS Lewis.

On the death of a parent, buddhism, and a return to the TreeHouseLetter. How three sentences from Salman Rushdie's memoir provide comfort after losing my mother.

The Prologue of my upcoming memoir opens on the embassy roof as my father escapes with the U.S. Ambassador on the last helicopter out of Saigon in 1975. This is my origin story. Just how will those final hours and the iconic and tragic end of an era in U.S. history figure into her life and her daughter’s?Listen to this excerpt of Raising Athena, a Memoir; A Mother and Daughter Attend West Point 30 Years Apart.

German romantic poet Friedrich von Hardenberg on teachers, Mathematics, and love, as highlighted in Penelope Fitzgeral's masterpiece, The Blue Flower.

On drifters and jobs, on Satoshi Yagisawa and David Foster Wallace, on the bookseller and the accountant. Learn about finding "the job" from both authors, about certain truths, about what real courage is. And study the Music in Prose in passages from their books.

On the yoga headstand and what I learned about writing. "You can only do so many things great, and you should cast aside everything else." Tim Cook

Alternate title: The Buddhist, the Catholic, and the Dying Man. Poetry for Emergencies, On happiness and desire, On reputation. It sounds like a bar joke but it’s better, because there’s more to this than a punchline. Listen to learn how these three gave me courage.

I like authors who make me laugh. Listen to three passages from Ann Leary's essay collection, with one on Bergdorf eveningwear, circa 2009. On writing humor.

Learn about the Japanese Proverb and welcome the New Year with thoughts on Kawaguchi's book, Before the Coffee Gets Cold, time travel, and the impact of one encounter with President Carter.

How long does it take for a snow flake to reach the ground? Poetry in winter and the end of year muse. Poetry for emergencies.

Giving Thanks is a ritual I look forward at Thanksgiving and one I stop to reflect on throughout the year. A text I received from a friend made me stop and consider the role of civility.

A text I received from a friend made me stop and consider the role of civility today.

Solitude and loneliness have been on my mind when this page came up in my reading. Thoughtful reflection on solitude: learning how and why to embrace it with insight from Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. 1 Book and series rec.

I'm not superstitious. BUT, numbers and patterns fascinate me, such as the modern use of 11:11 to make a wish. Why? Learn what the angel number, the armistice, and Veterans Day have in common.

On the Connecticut Polls today and what the example of one elderly woman--who fled the communist take-over of Saigon--can each us about elections.

On Gay Street in Baltimore on the way to Johnny's for dinner, I saw a large woman on the sidewalk, squatting at the wall. Poetry for Emergencies, 1 poem, a bit of Harry Potter, a bit of Poe, and a dream from the US Poet Laureate.

A curious thing happened last week. Learn of marigolds, of love, and of the unforgettable character an author writes about, Elzeard Bouffier. A story rejected by editors then printed and shared in languages the world over. "It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important." Antoine de Saint-Exupery On marigolds, on love, 1 book rec.

True story vs story and fact vs fiction; take a ride to Oklahoma and visit Whiskey 918. And, meet Macabea in Clarice Lispector's masterpiece, The Hour of the Star. 2 Book recs; On poverty; On music; Writer's Toolbox, ages 9 to 99

The evening with the 44th POTUS (President Of The United States) went about as planned. He was all business, in and out, no meal just speech. Sylvanus Thayer Award On a Strong Military and Secure Nation Toolbox: Speech and Rhetoric

Come along with me to the Five Points Neighborhood in West Buffalo for this Foodie special with confession. Explore "texture" in writing and Dante's Third Circle. As Oscar Wilde once wrote, "I am not young enough to know everything." But I know this much.

I want to share two moments with you, rendering them as best as I am able. They are startling in the manner that makes an imprint, a fully sensual memory. Perhaps what makes them so vivid is the sheer unexpectedness of the occurrences. Math geek alert. Pilot's Glory.

Who do you think won? I am back, working with Riverside Studio to share this True Story of Military Life. Thank you for listening, as always.

Happy Birthday to the United States of America. The Declaration of Independence is comprised of five distinct parts. Hear about them, the language, its length, and how the signatures are categorized.

"There are some things which men confess with ease, and others with difficulty. No one, for instance, will confess himself a fool or a blockhead . . . " Epictetus. If Epictetus were alive, he may be surprised to learn that I am No One. That No One who played the part of the fool and blockhead and figured you may benefit from my stupidity.

On narrative lust and the pleasure of rereading with C.S. Lewis. I’ve recently come across a few passages worthy of rereading, which is also a subject of this letter: a peek into Amor Towles 2024 short story collection, A Table for Two.

On travel and British Columbia in summer. EATS and FEATS: where to eat and what to do. And how I have changed after this particular trip. *Title is a play on the 1959 film from Alfred Hitchcock: North by Northwest.

Poetry for Emergencies. On grief. D. Adam Boaz with a poem from his anthology, Voices from the Second Life.

I gave this speech at New Canaan Town Hall on Memorial Day. I read it here for THL listeners, sharing stories which honor 7 local residents who died during the Vietnam War. Video recording of the speech is available on my site under Events tab.

Toolbox: On Speechwriting and public speaking. Research and preparation for the town Memorial Day speech. Finding the story and pulling it together... and, doing so as the first woman to speak at this event. The holy trinity of writing. Title quote from John McCrae's poem, In Flanders Fields.

Let's take a moment for teachers. That teacher, you know the one. Because, I have a confession to make. . . On poetry for emergencies, E. E. Cummings, and J.S. Bach. David Foster Wallace and This is Water.

On Kansas City, life in the middle, and a meditation on mothers.

We had not met before though we met in other ways, I suppose. On Vietnam and Operation Frequent Wind. And, honoring three marines.

Poetry for emergencies. Friends are leaving, selling their houses and moving away. Mary Oliver on things and Lau Tzu on excess.

I suppose it is the unexpected and the good which sustain us. Learn about a discovery in a second-hand book by Penelope Fitzgerald. In the process meet characters and listen to a cheeky retort from the protagonist.

Earthquake and eclipse may signify the end of times. For both to occur in a week, after a deluge of rain and flooding, it is easy to lose your moorings. Geography Instructor on the quake and Annie Dillard on the eclipse.

Nuts and nonsense. On Mixed Nuts, contronyms, and a classic film.

I love reading about the type of characters and situations I have encountered in my own life. What is less than pleasant is the recognition of less than admirable qualities that bear similarities to my own. George Washington's Rules and C.S. Lewis's Four Loves provide insight on civility and barbarism in an age when their relevance is more important than ever.

The importance of the English textbook and lessons on writing style. Part 2 of 5 with a book rec, a style guide, and passages from four writers: Confucius, C. Keegan, D. Grohl, and Lincoln.

Leo Tolstoy's classic story, C.S. Lewis and "The Four Loves", and a surprising message on the day of a military funeral.