April Lynn James

This Friday, November 17, at 7pm, I (plus Madison) will read from our first chapbook, Madison Hatta’s Book of Unreasonable Rhymes, and attempt to answer the ...

Mom was scheduled to have a check up with her neurologist to try to pinpoint the cause of her leg problems. I was at home that afternoon. The phone rang. “A...

People have been talking about Carrie Fisher’s and Debbie Reynolds’ passing within days of each other. There was a lot of shock and disbelief about it. Certa...

Mrs. Levin was taken ill mid-year, and was replaced by a substitute: Ms. Levine. She was the complete opposite of our permanent teacher—young, warm-hearted, ...

“Hidden Figures” is such an inspiring film. The everyday heroism of these women can no longer be overlooked, even while some of the issues they dealt with ar...

One of the things that properties like this are selling is escape: Escape from the sometimes-gritty reality of urban living. This brings me back to the citie...

Saying no to the manager meant that I was transferred to manager specialist number two, the third older man that I would speak to that day. Yes, I do believe...

Cities vs. suburbs. Perhaps that’s the issue. In March 2016, I spent my Spring Break week in the Orlando Florida Metropolitan Area, and I use the word “metro...

So many people—14,000!—gathered in Orlando, Florida for the American Library Association annual conference in June 2016, and I was one of them. I was a Stude...

My alter ego has a slightly different view as to the guidance I was recently given by the Universe (see the July 13 blog post). Madison says: The directive...

I awaken and practice this: before my mind starts running around in circles, I ask the Universe one simple question, “Who am I?” This particular morning, I h...

That woman who headed an NAACP chapter but who had to resign because she pretended to be black did us all a great service. She reminded us that race is an il...

To my incredulous elderly mother (herself a retired teacher), and anyone of whatever generation who asks, “You have a PhD from Harvard. Aren’t there any jobs...

It’s Women’s History Month, again! Time to sing the praises of those unsung–or less-than-fully-sung–female composers from previous generations. As you know, ...

The Universe rarely works in straight lines with me. I grew up singing Bach, Handel, Mozart and Brahms as part of our Episcopal Church choir, but for my list...

One of the things I love about the Internet is that it allows me to stay connected to far away people, places and organizations. Just because I’ve moved out ...

Greetings, one and all! Last week, Madison and I were up in NYC, visiting friends and family, and so, no blog post. This week, Madison and I would simply lik...

This time of year is a time of remembrance. I think of my father quite a bit, because we shared a Christmas tradition for a good part of my life: shopping at...

Good day, everyone! As April is deeply engaged in other writing projects this week, she asked if I would care to write the blog post today. I said that I wou...