I had a celebration (September 10 was my two-year anniversary as an editor at SmartBrief) and a lesson learned (don’t try to attend two simultaneous online conferences without getting your other work covered) this month. These were my favorite stories: BoardSource I love the fact that Peyton Manning tried to make this donation anonymously. The […]
Banned Books Week 2020
Banned Books Week 2020 starts today and lasts through October 3. Since 2014, I have participated in the Banned Books Week Virtual Readout (which, by the way, can be done anytime — not just during BBW). In 2019, I read from The Hate U Give (here’s the recording and my post). In 2018, I read from And Tango […]
Thoughts about church
CHURCH I’m not in a great place mentally about church right now. I realize the practice of going to a church building to worship has been interrupted in many ways by the pandemic, but my lax approach started showing up long before the pandemic. I got the weekly email from the church I still belong […]
Trees, blueberry bogs and video games
It’s Labor Day weekend, so here’s a look back at the SmartBrief stories that resonated most with me last month as I labored over the eight newsletters I edit. A way to better understand what refugees experience In the August 17 issue of the BoardSource SmartBrief, I learned about the way The Spero Project helps […]
Want to be hired? Be proudly yourself!
Holley Curry, owner of M&M Monogramming and More, spent a few hours recently reviewing resumes from prospective college-age employees and interns. Holley legitimately knows what it takes to get hired, since she’s the one who does the hiring! I’ve known Holley for a long time, since before she owned the business. I appreciate her practical take […]
Dear high school student … 3 things I should have learned
Kat Bouska asks, “What advice would you give today’s high schoolers?” These are the top three things that immediately come to mind: Take care of your mental health I think about this topic often, and it’s a bit delicate to address. I know — now that I have been a parent for 24 years — […]




