Claudia Ricci

No, it isn't a rug, a painting or some kind of game board. The magnificent design you see here is an intricately constructed sand mandala, created via painstaking methods by a...

One of the most exciting things about attending a conference is that you often meet the most creative people doing the most amazing and creative things.

Recently, I had...

I wouldn't dream of stripping my clothes off in public. So why in God's name would I let my as-yet-unfinished novel, Sister Mysteries, dance naked in public? Why...

Is it any wonder that the Wall Street occupation is capturing the country's attention? Who among us isn't deeply frustrated and fearful and just plain fed up? The fact is, everyone has had it with the recession that's never gone away. There's no end in sight to the housing crisis...

This is a story about nightmares and dreams come true.

This is a story...

Call me a skeptic, but is it possible that we've all gone over the top with our anxiety over Irene? I'm not saying we don't have a serious storm here. And I'm all for preparedness in the face of disaster, but for heaven's sake, the news and social media hurricane...

I've never stopped to think how many books I've read in my life. But it is has to be several thousand. I had to read hundreds of books just to get through my doctoral program. I've always been a reader, and I've always kept a big stack of books beside...

I sit cross legged on the floor, my hands resting lightly on my knees.

I breathe in.

I breathe out. The candles are lit. I watch the glowing little bud...

Beverly Bowne, who lives in the Bronx, worked for 28 years as a billing coordinator for a printing company in New York City. And then in 2009, she and a number of other employees at the company -- including her own supervisor -- were laid off.

Bowne's employer was...

It's been more than a year since I sat up and really listened to something the president is saying. It's been at least that long since something President Obama has said...

Note to Readers: Earlier this year, I experimented by serializing chapters of my new novel "Seeing Red" on the Huffington Post. Meanwhile, I have also been...

So my husband and I got into a bit of a tiff this morning. We argued about the strangest thing.

Robots.

It happened after I wrote a piece on Monday about Sherry Turkle's new book, Alone Together. A bunch of readers wrote in, and one...

The notion had never occurred to me. Not even for a moment. But now I see how I might be ROBO-PHOBIC. Yes, it's possible. People will be mating machines and I'm not going for it.

And no, it's not too far in the future.

If you think it's...

If you believe Justice Scalia, who wrote for the Supreme Court's majority opinion in yesterday's Wal-Mart ruling, there is "no convincing proof of a companywide discriminatory pay and promotion policy."

Tell that to all the women who have worked for Wal-Mart. The company has gotten away with its discriminatory...

From time to time I marvel at the fact that I keep writing the book that I am writing on-line. I also marvel at the fact that there appear to be actual human beings out there who are reading it. Or at least, they keep visiting the site....

Not to sound too dramatic or anything, but this is a rather dangerous time of year for me. The middle of May -- when the school year comes to a screeching halt -- is usually a time when life turns into a slick wet deck and I go skating over...

It's been a big question the last few days: are you getting up for the wedding?

All week I kept saying. No. I wasn't going to get up. And I wasn't going to get swept up in the bizarre media frenzy.

And yet, in the last few days...

With this installment of Seeing Red, serialization of the novel, which began in February, 2011, is now coming to an end. Thanks to all the on-line readers, and all of you who sent comments! To read earlier installations, go to SeeingRedHuffPost. TO PURCHASE A COPY OF SEEING RED,...