During the six years my daughter Johanna struggled with and finally succumbed to stage 4 rhabdomyosarcoma, a soft tissue cancer, I spent countless hours, including well over 100 overnight stays at the hospital by her... Read More

At the foot of burning Mount Doom, Samwise the gardener kneels beside his friend, Frodo, who can no longer walk. Frodo has been carrying a great weight– the One Ruling Ring, which grows heavier with... Read More

A three-year-old boy is carried out of a school in northern Gaza, covered in blood, his legs cut off. His parents were killed in an earlier strike, so it is his uncle who reaches him.... Read More

I would argue that existence and nature are synonymous and, as Aristotle would say, “self-evident.” However, there are definitive so-called “laws of nature” that define existence, are immutable and govern all things across time and... Read More

This piece was awarded first place in the Humanists of Greater Portland's annual essay contest for high school seniors seeking funding for post-high school education.  Every day reminds me how much we rely on tiny... Read More

I am a poet. I spend much of my time thinking about people and their emotional states — how they relate to each other and how those emotions shape our lives. We humans live in... Read More

Blood. Gore. Crushing blows to the head. Was this the best way to celebrate America's 250th birthday? On June 14, which was Flag Day and President Trump's 80th birthday, Trump hosted an Ultimate Fighting Championship... Read More