Recent essays
• “Stepping Stones,” Topology Magazine, August 2, 2017
• “Hoop Dreams of a Younger Sister,” Topology Magazine, June 7, 2017
• “Interlude,” Peacock Journal, March 21, 2017
• “Heart Strings,” Writers Night: A Sense of Place, page 19, January 2017 
• “Depths of a Mother’s Love,” Great Moments in Parenting, Sept. 16, 2015
• “The Art of Parental Embarrassment,” Mamalode, Aug. 26, 2015 
• “The Life Cycle of a Swing Set,” Mamalode, Aug. 14, 2015 
• “Disappointment: the Family Vacations Guide,” Great Moments in Parenting, June 10, 2015
• “Life and Death in the Dressing Room,” Mamalode, May 4, 2015

Minnesota Parent columns
• Time for a transition! July 2014 • When should teens start touring colleges? June 2014 • Playing it safe in the water May 2014 • Putting the fun back in sports April 2014 • Learning beyond the classroom March 2014 • Stressful times February 2014 • In the driver’s seat January 2014 • Our noisy society December 2013 • It’s a small world after all November 2013 • Building the teacher-parent team October 2013 • Later start is a good start September 2013 • Accentuate the positive August 2013 • Adventures large, small and in be’tween July 2013 • Here comes the sun June 2013

Travel articles
• Weekend getaway: A day trip to Hastings Star Tribune, Aug. 4, 2012
• Iowa City, Iowa: University town bustles in summer Star Tribune, June 2, 2012
• Des Moines capitalizes on riverfront Star Tribune, April 14, 2012
• Northfield, Minn.: History and arts go hand in hand Star Tribune, March 11, 2012
• Fairmont, Minn.: A Fair City by the Lakes Star Tribune, Oct. 9, 2011
• Sauk Centre, Minn.: Sinclair Lewis’ ‘Main Street’ Star Tribune, June 26, 2011
• A Rebirth for Fergus Falls Star Tribune, May 29, 2011
• Mankato: River City Cloaked in Charm Star Tribune, April 24, 2011
• Historic Charm Lines the Streets of Mantorville Star Tribune, Dec. 25, 2010
• Faribault Brims with New Life Star Tribune, Aug. 22, 2010
• Step back in time in Crookston Star Tribune, July 18, 2010
• A podcast tour of New Ulm, History at Hand, AAA Living, May/June 2009

Health-related articles and essays
• “Women’s health: Mastectomy now or later?” Star Tribune, April 3, 2015
• “When Cancer Grows on Family Trees,” Minnesota Good Age, May 2012
•  “Who Ya Gonna Call,” a piece about the Cancer Legal Line, Minnesota Law & Politics, October/November 2007

November 26, 2020, will be long remembered as the year of the pandemic Thanksgiving. The date coincided with another momentous occasion, but because of COVID-19, I wasn't able to celebrate it as I would have liked: it was the 150th birthday of my paternal great-grandfather, G. Oliver Riggs. 

This time last year, I had different plans in mind for marking G. Oliver's 150th birthday. I had hoped to host a book reading/birthday party in St. Cloud in mid- or late November, invite friends and family, serve cake, arrange for some live music — it would have been the type of event I have sorely missed during these weeks and months of the global pandemic. 

G. Oliver was born on Nov. 26, 1870, in Louisa County, Iowa.

What are you doing Oct. 3-4? I'm guessing you're not straying too far from home, in these COVID times, so why not join me at an online book festival? The Deep Valley Book Festival is going virtual this year, and it will offer a variety of panels and events over two days.

One year ago today, I hosted a launch party for my book and was blown away by the response. I'm feeling especially grateful tonight for all the people who packed the Grand Event Center in Northfield that evening to show their interest and support. Such an event would not be possible under current COVID-19 restrictions.

Happy almost book birthday!

My nonfiction book, Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Music Man, officially entered the world of published books on July 1, 2019, which means it's almost 1 year old!

Time sure flies when COVID-19 prevents you from continuing your book tour. Since I can't have a big in-person reading event to celebrate this momentous occasion, I decided to record myself reading the first chapter of my book and share it with all of you.

COVID-19 shut down many of my plans for book events this spring and summer. Fortunately, the Northfield Public Library has come to the rescue by offering me the chance to do my planned book reading in a virtual format next week.

It's one of many reasons why we should support our public libraries! They are constantly adapting to the needs of their patrons.

Today at 3 p.m., my dad and my middle child both played Taps, 175 miles apart. It was a long-distance duet, of sorts; my dad played outside the apartment building where he and my mom live in Alexandria, for a physically distanced crowd of about 20 friends and neighbors, and Sebastian played from our front porch in Northfield, for the enjoyment of Steve, Elias, me, and anyone else in the neighborhood who happened to hear it.

Dad and Sebastian were not the only ones playing Taps today.

My great-grandfather would have loved knowing that he was the subject of Curt Brown's Minnesota History column in last Sunday's (April 12) Star Tribune, Riggs struck up band like few others. It was a boost to me, as well, to see G. Oliver Riggs and my book, Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters, mentioned in the state's largest daily newspaper (and the country's seventh-largest, in terms of circulation).
4

I spent a few hours this afternoon cleaning out the bedroom that has served as my office since September, so Sebastian can reclaim it for the rest of the school year. I got sidetracked (no surprise) when I came across a fragile, musty photo album that a second cousin sent me many months ago. It appears to have belonged to my paternal great-grandmother, Islea.

I hadn't spent much time with the album when it arrived at my house because I was deep in revisions to my book at that time.

Three weeks ago — which seems like three years ago now — I was the featured guest at the monthly meeting of the Stillwater Woman's Reading Club. The group formed in 1886 and is the longest-operating woman-founded club in Minnesota. I was honored to be invited and had a marvelous time talking to its members about my book, Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Music Man. During my presentation at St.

In my previous blog post, I mentioned that I wrote two different epilogues for my book, Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Music Man. I ultimately decided against including either one in the final manuscript.

I wrote the second epilogue in October 2017, shortly after I had attended a writing retreat led by Minneapolis author/teacher/writing coach extraordinaire Kate Hopper.
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