Welcome to my Writing Page!

I didn’t grow up knowing I would be a writer, but I did grow up being a reader. I was a quiet, rule-following kid, but I used to get in trouble for rushing through my school assignments so I could get back to my book. Such a rebel!!

Features are articles I have written over the years. Feel free to browse!

Profiles are the kind of writing I like best. Check out these cool people I got to meet and chat with! Ordinary people doing extraordinary things. It makes for great reading!

Claire’s Other Leg

Claire’s Other Leg

Imagine you were going to the beach. You’d put your swimsuit on under your clothes, drive or walk to the beach, and then what? For Claire Williams, she spreads out her towel. Takes off her shoes,...

Howard Ingber

Howard Ingber

When he was nine years old, Howard Ingber got a chemistry set for Christmas. By the time of the first explosion, Ingber was hooked. “Explosions, smoke, gunpowder, sulfur. The kit showed you how to...

Marilyn Scudder Barnwell

Marilyn Scudder Barnwell

If Marilyn Scudder Barnwell was a super hero she would be the Compassionator. As for her fatal flaw (because every hero has one), perhaps it would be a humility so deep that it renders her...

The Core of Computing

The Core of Computing

The world doesn’t run without computers, from the software powering tiny wearables to the hardware making possible wireless networking and computer processing. ECE Illinois faculty and alumni are...

An Outsider is Welcomed In

An Outsider is Welcomed In

Alison Bechdel seems a bit nonplussed about her success. The recent Tony Award-winner, also author of the long-running cartoon Dykes to Watch Out For and two graphic novel memoirs, Fun Home (2006)...

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Thank you for signing up for my newsletter! Every month I’ll send a new post sharing my thoughts on writing — especially children’s non-fiction —  and creativity, posting writing prompts, discussing my favorite middle grade authors and more.