Life Philosophy

Is social media a waste of time for writers? Is it possible, in the end, to just focus on writing?

My colleagues at F+W, sometime around 2005 It will be hard to think back on Cincinnati without thinking about F+W,

Note: Read the earlier installments in this series, #1 and #2. My favorite places in Cincinnati are mostly tied to

Today's guest post is from one of my UC students, Jarrod Welling-Cann. He is facing the issue—as we all do

Today's guest post is by Emily Latham. Emily has been one of my students this past academic year at the

Passion has become a cheap word. I'm starting to roll my eyes when I hear it. But it hasn't always

In the latest Glimmer Train bulletin, Joe Vastano has a lovely essay on how writers have to acknowledge the duality

Sometimes I find myself defending social media to the experienced user and beginner alike. It can be easily accused—and rightly

I'm starting to find that the same dilemmas come up again and again when I talk with a group about

The following is excerpted from The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing & Life by Marion Roach Smith. It

In the latest Glimmer Train bulletin, there's an amazing piece by Melanie Rae Thon, "The Heart Breaks, and Breaks Open:

From "How to Know It's Real Love" by Martha Beck, in Oprah magazine. Buddha once said that just as we

I am always sincere, but never serious. —Alan Watts When I started my first professional blog, I struggled to give

"The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his

I love making lists. Big-picture lists, daily lists, grocery lists, checklists … you name it, I list it. I even

Yesterday, I was a guest over at Writer Unboxed, discussing the anxieties that surrounded my move from "Writer's Digest blogger"

[Update: The discussion in the comments—on this site and on some of my other profiles—has made me realize that my

I have my friend Nath to thank for this, who sent me a book in the mail with no note,

From "Social Animal" by David Brooks (The New Yorker, January 17, 2011) I guess I used to think of myself

From "Later" by James Surowiecki, The New Yorker (October 11, 2010). Click here to read the full article online. But

I don't think my age is a secret, but just to be clear: I'm 34. Sometimes when I speak at

From Solitude by Anthony Storr: Many fortunate people do make intimate relationships which continue until death, and which constitute their major

When I attended TEDxCincy in October 2010, there was one session where I was furiously taking notes: the session by

From Solitude by Anthony Storr: The capacity to be alone is a valuable resource when changes of mental attitude are

From C.G. Jung's The Transcendant Function: Collected Works: The new attitude gained in the course of analysis tends sooner or

From an essay by C.G. Jung, where he quotes a patient: Out of evil, much good has come to me.

From Solitude by Anthony Storr: Human beings need a sense of being part of a larger community than that constituted

One of the classes I'm teaching at CCM requires me to study up on the history and practice of public

From "A Cruel Country" [excerpts from Roland Barthes' journals after his mother's death] in The New Yorker (September 13, 2010):

I've been keeping a journal off and on ever since I was about 12 years old. The earliest journals, written

From The Way of Zen by Alan Watts: It was a basic Confucian principle that "it is man who makes truth

From "Letting Go" by Atul Gawande in The New Yorker (August 2, 2010): Almost all these patients had known, for

I may get myself into trouble with this one. But I've always been suspicious of happy people. I do NOT

From Bill Murray interview in Entertainment Weekly (via TerryStarbucker.com): “I just really want to work when I want to work.

Artwork by Tonia Davenport—from her wonderful series "B&W and Red All Over" A while back, I read this relationship break-up anecdote

A wonderful commencement address from Steve Jobs. I love that he mentions life can only be lived forward, and understood

This is taken from a Salon interview with Alan Ball, creator of Six Feet Under—my most favorite TV series, with

There are a few people I read religiously for insight and perspective on work/business life. Probably on the top of

From Kenny Moore's blog post, "Losing Your Job? Psychological, Spiritual & Practical Advice." This is the most meaningful discussion I

Transcribed from Examined Life (Zeitgeist Films), the words of Avital Ronnell. If we're not anxious, if we're okay with things,

On my Facebook profile, I state my religious beliefs as "The story of your life becomes your life." After my

My job as Writer's Digest publisher often leads people to remark what a great life I have. So young, so

I am very careless with my belongings. This past week, when I flew to NYC for Digital Book World, I

[Click here for full-size image.] On the last page of my 2009 Museum of Lost Wonder calendar, I found the