2003 and 2004 Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Fiction finalist, for short stories A dying tiger moaned for drink (’03) and Virgin Vision (’04)
Kurt Vonnegut fiction competition
July 24, 2007 by
2006 – Third place in the Kurt Vonnegut fiction competition; my short story Plot Theory has been published in the literary journal, North American Review.
Virgin Vision
July 24, 2007 by
Virgin Vision (short story) – finalist in the 2005 Katherine Ann Porter fiction contest Virgin Vision Each morning, I left my home on Creek Street in the dark. I wanted to crown the Blessed Virgin Mary at the end of the month of May. I was competing against 100 sixth graders, so I would show […]
Plot Theory
July 24, 2007 by
Plot Theory, 3rd place winner in the annual Kurt Vonnegut fiction contest, appeared in the 2006 summer issue of the North American Review PLOT THEORY Plots only tend to exist. We cannot predict with 100 percent certainty where they will go, what they mean. The observer must always be taken into account. We are still […]
The Pleasures of the Table
July 24, 2007 by
The Pleasures of the Table appeared in France, a Love Story, ed., Camille Cusumano, 2004.
A Splendid Duck
July 24, 2007 by
THE MOST memorable duck I ever ate was a canard cooked up slowly, willfully, by my friend Suzanne when we were on a summer work program in France. We were young and impoverished students, enriching ourselves in one of the world’s finest cultures. But pommes frites and salade niçoise could go only so far in making a student from Texas (Suzanne) or New Jersey (me) feel culturally superior. So every few weeks, Suzanne, who at twenty-eight was more worldly-wise than I (age twenty), seduced a couple of men. They would, for the pleasure of our poulet-de-printemps company, wine and dine us. The truite, biftek, and coq au vin were superb, if not free; the men–who always seemed more ravenous at the end of the meal–always expected un petit peu de sexe.
Never mind that there are other names for such an arrangement. It was all soul-blackening premarital sex, as far as I, not long out of Catholic girls’ school, was concerned. (And feminism wouldn’t reach my neighborhood until a year later.) Somehow I always got out of paying the postprandial price. On the other hand, Suzanne, obviously one of those libertine Protestants I’d heard about, would on occasion have no qualms about delivering “les goods.”
Greece, A Love Story
July 22, 2007 by
Greece, it has been said, is where art became inseparable from life. The country evokes a richly embroidered tapestry of images, from old monuments rife with history to idyllic isles of glass-blue sea and blinding white stucco dwellings. Greece enchants its visitors with its beauty, tradition, and spirit.
In this eloquent collection, women share firsthand experiences of the people, history, and landscape of Greece. Their essays go beyond ordinary travelogue to capture the ways in which Greece has shaped lives or influenced decisions. In expressing their love for the country, these women share stories as visceral as they are poignant, as entertaining as they are endearing.
Mexico A Love Story
July 22, 2007 by
Mexico A Love Story, edited by Camille Cusumano, Seal Press, Emeryville, Calif. Mexico has long cast a spell over its neighbor — and alter ego — to the north. Americans share its history, exalt its food, and honor its artistic luminaries. They cross the border in droves, heading to warm waters, busy city centers, open-air […]
Italy, A Love Story
July 22, 2007 by
Italy, A Love Story, edited by Camille Cusumano, Seal Press, Emeryville, Calif. Legendary for fabulous food, persistent men, and a lyrical language, Italy has inspired many great love affairs-with the country itself. From the notorious occupants and cuisine of Sicily, to the ancient marvels of Rome, to the couture of Milan, women throughout the ages […]
France, A Love Story
July 22, 2007 by
France, A Love Story, edited by Camille Cusumano, Seal Press, Emeryville, Calif. What is it about France that so captivates the imagination? For many Americans, a love of France and all things French started in school, while mastering the seductive sounds of the language. Others were fascinated by the idea of France’s exalted culture; for […]
America Loves Salads
July 22, 2007 by
America Loves Salads, GuildAmerica (Doubleday), New York, 1993, author.
Tofu, Tempeh, and Other Soy Delights
July 22, 2007 by
Find this out-of-print but never out-of-date book from Rodale Press, 1984 at Amazon.
Rodale’s Basic Natural Foods Cookbook
July 22, 2007 by
ed. Charles Gerras; writers Camille Cusumano and Carol Munson, Rodale Press, Emmaus, PA, 1983. To be a good cook and to use any cookbook with confidence, you must understand the basics of food preparation. Find Rodale’s equivalent of the whole foods Joy of Cooking at Amazon.
Tango, an Argentine Love Story Endorsements
July 22, 2007 by
TANGO: an Argentine Love Story is a “spicy travel memoir of a woman who loved, lost, got mad—and decided to dance.” “Tango is a remarkable addition to contemporary dharma literature. It reads like a thriller, a romance, and above all it shows the redemptive potential of a sincere spiritual practice.” —Sylvia Boorstein, PhD, author of […]
Kent Island, Washington Post
June 28, 2007 by
Washington Post – Kent Island (101 column) – original here. When the Going Gets Tough, Get Off Route 50 Spend some traffic-free time on Kent Island, Md. including Terrapin Beach. (Photos Courtesy Queen Annes County Office Of Tourism) Sunday, July 9, 2006 Next time you’re sweating it out in Chesapeake Bay Bridge traffic between the […]
Around the world on a dance floor
January 19, 2006 by
I plan a trip to Paris, a city I love. It’s not the Louvre or the Left Bank, though, that draws me back this time, but a dance. I shoot off an e-mail to tango teacher Jean-Sébastien Rampazzi and hold my breath until he replies: “Yes, I can see you for a private lesson at la Casa del Tango.”
Musings as I prepare to leave Buenos Aires
January 12, 1996 by
As my days here in Buenos Aires are numbered, I notice everything the way I did when I first arrived nearly four years ago. The flower vendors that hunker down on crowded sidewalks, are once again a novelty. The way they festoon their booths with fragrant bouquets, the way they burn incense to lure you […]