When I was a senior in college, I took a class in art history from a beloved professor, Lloyd Reynolds. On the day our final exams were returned, the professor called out my name and discovering I had skipped class, he read my essay to those present.   After he’d finished, he conc

I can think of nothing spookier and more like science fiction than turning to a robot for advice on my savings and retirement accounts but, believe or not, the time is neigh.  Two companies, Betterment and Wealthfront are betting their robots can provide quality advice and undercut e

At the retirement center I’m learning the fine art of living in a community while retaining my solitude.  The impulse of others to be welcoming is touching, so I am developing ways to assure my neighbors that solitude isn’t synonymous with being lonely. Solitude is a quest for a

Walking the streets of my new neighborhood, I saw a sign posted on a telephone pole.  The notice announced a tenants’ rent control meeting.  I could understand why such a gathering was necessary.  Thanks to gentrification, affordable housing has declined at an alarming degree, sh

When I took yoga classes a while ago, the teacher kept reminding her students to breathe. I thought that was strange because breathing is as natural as, well…. breathing. But, Emma Sepala, PhD at Stanford University and co-author of a book on post-traumatic stress affirms that, “t

“You mustn’t be so open-mined that your brains fall out.” That’s the advice avant garde poet, Marianne Moore once gave to her fellow poet, E. E. Cummings. Whether she had any influence over him or not is unknown but a new biography of the man reveals he was clear about his opi

I admit it. I’ve been known to talk to myself. Yesterday, I had to get snarky. Three times I attempted to leave the house and three times, I returned for my keys, my purse and finally, my gloves. Exasperated, I bellowed to the four walls, “Hello Caroline. How about joining the par

The Gap is a new book by Thomas Suddendorf that argues the reason homo sapiens stand intellectually above other animals isn’t a matter of engineering but the results of having outlived our nearest competitors. According to the author, as little as 30,000 years ago, “several specie

Since my brief hiatus in July, when I entertained a former student from South Africa, the last few weeks have been busy.  I taped 4 new episodes of Just Read It. (Click) That’s the ten minute book review program I co-host with Susan Stoner, author of the Sage Adair mystery series.

Donald Trump has probably done more to recruit converts to the political process than any politician in a long time. While his support base remains fixed, those in opposition to his policies are a rising tide. Many of them, as writer E. J. Graff points out, are new to citizen activism