The Itsy-Bitsy Book Club started a couple of years ago, when a friend and I picked out a book together. It's a great way to connect with a friend or two and read something interesting. Even better, it doesn't involve the demands of a regular book club --...

Dawn Clark Netsch was the first woman I really admired. I was five years old and in awe of her--her voice, her clothes, her ideas. When she spoke, she knew what she was talking about. I wanted my hair cut just like hers. I wanted to grow up and be...

Click here to read an original op-ed from the TED speaker who inspired this post and watch the TEDTalk below.

On January 20, 1961, people around the world listened to the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy. Poet Robert Frost approached the podium to read the...

I've been away from The Huffington Post for a couple of months because my mother was in the last phase of pancreatic cancer, a somewhat rare but especially devastating cancer. The last 10 months demanded a lot of decision-making on her part. While those decisions about one's health...

co-authored with Douglas Dechow

Do you know the difference between writer and author? Do you know why you should never answer the question What's your book about? Our piece entitled "5 Takeaways from the Writer's Digest Conference" can be found at Lofty Ambitions blog.

But there's...

Co-written with Douglas Dechow

In Southern California, August 25, 2012, is a beautiful Saturday, all blue sky, warm sunshine, and cool breeze. The semester will begin on Monday, and we are at home revising a book proposal. Neil Armstrong, the first human being to...

Co-authored with Douglas Dechow

Last week, we offered advice for students starting their first semester of college. This week, we get to some practical advice that no one else may bother to mention to you.

1. Buy the books required for the courses you're taking.

To our surprise,...

Co-written with Douglas Dechow

We've been working at colleges and universities for a long time now. Statistically, a college education improves your long-term earning potential. To make the most of it, take a few basic actions right off the bat.

1. Read the catalog. Get a...

with Douglas Dechow

Sunday, July 8, 2012, marks the first anniversary of the last launch of the Space Shuttle Program. Atlantis lifted off LC-39A at 11:29:03 after a very brief delay and began STS-135, the last mission in the three-decade-long program. U.S. manned spaceflight ended (at least temporarily)...

Earlier this month, Stephanie Vanderslice posted an article here at The Huffington Post entitled "Should I Read or Should I Write?" There, she mentions that I find reading to be essential for my life as a writer but that, when tasks pile up, "it's often the activity that...

1. You can't control inspiration or insight; it just happens.

If you're still clinging to the notion that good ideas pop randomly into a person's head, then you're not reading the books on the New York Times bestseller list. From Malcolm Gladwell to Jonah Lehrer, popular...

co-authored with Douglas Dechow

On Tuesday, May 22, we wrote about the successful launch of SpaceX's Dragon capsule. Since then, Dragon synced up its orbit with the International Space Station and, on May 25, berthed.

This low-Earth-orbit hook-up isn't technically docking. The space shuttle...

with Douglas Dechow

Over this past week, eyes have been on SpaceX and Dragon, which completed its successful mission to the International Space Station. Remember, too, that roughly a year ago, on May 16, 2011, space shuttle Endeavour set out on its last-ever mission. On June 1, 2011,

co-authored with Douglas Dechow

Last Friday night, we stayed up late to watch the launch of the Dragon capsule. Anna watched NASA-TV, and Doug watched the SpaceX broadcast. Because the launch of this commercial venture to replace the space shuttle for U.S. transport to...

I like the idea of a book club: the shared experience, the rush to finish by a certain date.
But I've resisted joining a book club. I dread fitting another thing into my schedule. I worry about liking the book more (or less) than others. Some book clubs devolve...

Coauthored by Dianne Donnelly, Dinty Moore, Tim Mayers and Stephanie Vanderslice.

As a group, we represent a large swath of the field, graduate and undergraduate, public and private colleges and universities both large and small. Here, we let readers in on what really happens inside our creative writing programs and...

Coauthored by Dianne Donnelly, Tim Mayers, Dinty W. Moore, Stephanie Vanderslice

Last month, this group of six creative writers and teachers argued "Creative Writing Can Be Taught" and answered the question "What is Creative Writing Anyway?"
Too often, detractors of creative writing as an academic...

On February 4, 2012 in the Huffington Post, this group of six creative writers and teachers answered some basic questions about creative writing, literature, and the relationship between teaching and learning. We felt it especially important to include multiple perspectives and welcomed the lively conversation. You can read...

Dianne Donnelly, Anna Leahy, Tom C. Hunley, Tim Mayers, Dinty W. Moore, Stephanie Vanderslice. Compiled by Anna Leahy and Stephanie Vanderslice

On January 11th, 2012, Anis Shivani published a screed called "Can Creative Writing Be Taught? Therapy for the Disaffected Masses."

We usually don't engage with him, in...