Impulse Vs. Intuition This was definitely an impulsive, not intuitive, click. I'm busy this weekend. And after browsing the judges' bios and headshots, I felt my deep-South, middle-aged white-woman tethers tightening around me. 

The Joy of Return The page is a magic place where I can turn back time, I can recover the joy, even if for a few lines.

Spring Words Came Words that heal. Words that connect. Words that remind us we are not alone.

I'm still listening to the Not Quite Write longlist podcast (notquitewritepodcast.com/prize/awards/), but I'm apparently late to the listen. The badges were already posted. This is my favorite competition and I'm so happy to be one of the long listers. Thanks, Ed and Amanda!!

Happy Birthday Blog to the One Who Broke the Chain She didn't follow a path her parents or ancestors dictated or mapped out for her. She chose her own. And she wasn't afraid to pivot—sometimes drastically—when she hit dead ends or when the path didn't fit. She would pivot with the curiosity of…

Happy Birthday Blog for Mom Thanks for the backbone you gave this family. Sometimes I picture the spine as a stack of cookies—ginger snaps, chocolate chips, snickerdoodles, oatmeal—layered strength, sweet and steady.

The Truth Is… A version of truth or being true came up in all three of my morning readings today. The truth is... truth can be slippery. My books told me that originality and individualism are not as important as being true to the work—true to purpose. Another reading: stay true to my own…

Not Cynical—Because I Write When we emerge from the page, we are not cynical. The words have drawn us away—forward—toward growth and compassion.

Happy Birthday Blog for a Chosen One I may be the elder, but you've often modeled the kind of calm integrity I reach for.  The way you move through the world—through the crowds, through change—without losing yourself. Always aware of your center. Always grounded in your truth.

Shadow Vs. Shoulders: Choosing Expression over Expectation Standing in shadow is hiding, cloistering. Standing on shoulders is rising, opening. From someone's shoulders, I can see farther than they saw, imagine deeper, wider, wilder. I carry forward what they offered, but I'm not confined by it.

Stubbornness of Caregiving The stubbornness of caregiving. Maybe you thought they were unrelated? I found myself on the other end of caregiving following my knee surgery. Receiving is not a comfortable corner for me. But after decades of retraining my stubborn resistance, I've learned to receive…

Auto Draft Maybe your thought stubbornness and caregiving were unrelated? I found myself on the other end of caregiving following my knee surgery. Receiving is not a comfortable corner for me, but, after decades of retraining my stubborn resistance, I've learned to receive more graciously. One of…

Good grief! The pain I've learned and I understand that grief will be my companion from here on. I'm hoping this is where recovery from surgery and grief diverge.

Recovery: Knee-Deep But during this recovery, I’ve discovered there is one thing I miss when deprived of it: Writing.

Blog from a Fog So that's my blog from a fog. A reminder to stay open. To stay curious. Even when I can't see far ahead. To show up anyway And to trust the page and the pen.

Demons to Tea I didn't exactly invite my demons to tea that night. But I did let them come along for the outing. And I reminded them: just because I'm late to arrive to the room doesn't mean it's too late. Who knows? Maybe I arrived exactly on time.  I'm pleased to report the demons have no…

Fine Lines: Carry Salt When reading any how-to, carry a small pouch of salt. Chew a grain as you swallow the instruction. Let discernment dissolve slowly. And keep that salt nearby when resistance rises. Sometimes resistance is fear. Sometimes it’s intuition.

Happy Birthday Blog to my Youngest But if we notice—if we pause to feel that force within us, to arrange the trivial and achieve balance—if we stay mindful of our days, we find the joy.

The Dishtowel Sometimes intimacy lives in the smallest rituals.

Quantum Patience and Graceful Timing [Quantum patience is] the willingness to keep showing up, even when I'm stuck, to do the work even on days I'd rather sleep in or lose myself in social media and word games. 

Stick in the Eye Pain keeps its promise.

Join me this month for 4 virtual InkWell WordShop during AWA's Write Around the World. Monday Feb 2 at Noon CDT Sunday Feb 8 at 5PM CDT Monday Feb 16 at 11AM CDT Thursday Feb 26 2 1PM CDT Remember to explore the AWA Calendar for a rich variety of workshops: amherstwriters.org/write-around...

My Next Chapter I'll be fine. But this mantra is neither present nor leaping forward nor a prayer. It's a lie.

Train Wrecks and Things (That Are Not Just Things) So, to the onlookers who turn to stare and to those who step closer to comfort, remember this: Meaning doesn't make loss heavier for us. It makes it real enough to respond to. 

The Fabric of Grief: Living with Loss Without Losing Yourself The fabric of grief is woven with coarse threads of guilt and regret. The threads of guilt rasp with I didn't do enough, yet the coarsest of these are the why? threads. Why didn't I...? Why did I....? Run your hand here. Feel the…

I Shall Not Be Moved Great challenges gnaw at the shores of the riverbank. But those waters will not sweep me away. My roots are deep. They are strong.

On the Last Day It's the last day of 2025. What are you going to do with it? 2025, like all years, was a mixed bag, but the mix doesn't matter much now. What I do with these last hours may not register in the grand scheme of things either. Still, how I use the moments of this final day feels…

The Spirit in the Lights I find the spirit in the lights during the holidays—Christmas tree lights, lights decorating homes and gardens. candlelight. Twinkling or still, they set a mood for me. When I still lived with my parents, and maybe even once or twice after I started college, I loved…

Full Circle Full circle? I'm changed, so, as I come back round the end of a year, I arrive with story, with a shift that warps my circle, makes my circle—our circle together—imperfect but better.

Be present "Be present" is a good directive. But it should have been preceded with lessons in being still.

Bring Hope I appreciate this prompt, because, even as we face and take stands against the darkness of our days, it's important to be mindful of the things that give us hope. 

Open Window I'm working on a book of poetry I didn't know I had in me. But I'm happy to celebrate and embrace these forms that are emerging. Going through things. Learning new things. Creating new circles of community and connection. The shape and adventure of verse offer the perfect container for…

ICYMI: I Was in the Pulpit I'm not sure all ministers have the capacity to entrust their congregants with voice at the pulpit, to feel secure that other voices won't drown out their own. I appreciate that our ministers have the confidence and faith necessary to allow the air, light, and depth the…

The Grace in Our Gaps: A Sermon on the Sin of Omission Maybe my words about my own sins of omission will make you feel a little lighter. Or maybe just a little less judgy—of others and of yourself.

Reconnect with Creativity: Let Your Inner Artist Out to Play Creativity never leaves us; it only waits for us to return to it.

A Sweater Goodbye: How to Let Go This year is dead-set on driving home the lesson, how to let go. Today is the 300th day of the 2025. You exclaim, "Where did the year go?" I'm mumbling, "Sixty-five more days of this lesson?" Flying By Even though, since 2020, I've been more intentional about how I…

Join us tomorrow for some generative writing and sharing. www.facebook.com/share/1Bgjgg...

Remember the Light You Carry I remember the light I carry and I choose joy.

Join us in November to write!! I'll be leading some of these writing sessions. Feel free to reach out to me if you want more information, but you should be able to find everything you need here. amherstwriters.org/writeon-with...

💫 October invites us inward — to gather, to write, to listen. Join our InkWell WordShops and Words to Brew On gatherings this month. InkWell WordShops are donation based. Words to Brew On free to all. Come as you are. Leave with words that surprise you. 💻 innergardenretreats.com/retreatschedule

The Power of Daily Writing: 2000 Days of Morning Pages Practice open.substack.com/pub/pennieni...

The Power of Daily Writing: 2000 Days of Morning Pages Practice My passion is writing, and my daily writing routine has been instrumental in drawing me forward. If your passion is also writing, my 2000 days of morning pages show that a daily writing habit doesn't just fill notebooks, it builds a…

It’s Been a Year: Pendulums and Rollercoasters When I was a wife and younger mom, I felt the pendulum of the years: one year fraught with financial and career challenges (It's been a year.), and the next a giant swing into ease, victories, and flow (It's been a year!), then back into the dimness…

Covid Writer’s Brain Covid writer's brain. I know this territory, lived here for years. When I sit down to work (not to write), my focus is fire. I can write emails, code, work spreadsheets for hours without needing to crack my knuckles. Clear-eyed, awake, efficient. But I open my notebook and…

How to Show Up for the Dying However we label it, death is inevitable—promised from the moment we are born. But when it comes close, when it touches our own circle, we pause. We reflect. And often, we wonder: What do I say? How do I show up for the dying?  

The Truth in Fiction: Why Made-Up Stories Speak to Our Souls Fiction versus nonfiction comes up often in writing groups. It’s rarely about which is better—it’s usually about truth. I’ve always found more truth in fiction. Fiction vs Nonfiction Isn’t About Better or Worse Writer conversations…

Lessons for me… and for my characters I started using the readings as springboards for stories and poems, and for the persistent main character of my current novel in progress.

How are you doing? The greeting—How are you doing?—is common. This question is expected. Compulsory in some situations. And polite. Or is it? Is it even real?

Writing as a Leap of Faith With a breath, a deep leap of faith, I took a writing plunge with a handful of friends.