“Perhaps our ability to behold is what sets us apart…The ability to stop, drop everything, let the line go slack…and just stand in awe.”
— Neil King Jr.
Events & News
I’m delighted that a short story I began while an Artist in Residence in 2024 at the Linden Place historic mansion, related to my current novel in progress, will be included in an upcoming anthology, out this spring. (More details soon.)
Nature and Environmental Gift Ideas
Yes, for sure, books books and more books. My other go-to small gifts are connected to my environmentalism and love of nature. Here are a few:
Swedish dishtowels are both environmentally useful and fun. They can be washed and reused over and over, saving on paper towels. I purchase mine from Audubon or Three Blue Birds (threebluebirds.com), which has quite pretty designs, but you can find them in many other places these days.
For a really eco-nerdy gift, consider a tree to dry plastic baggies! (Yes, some of us wash them out and then need a way to dry them other than waving them around in the air.) I was gifted this one from Hotcan, but there are plenty of sellers out there.
And of course, nature itself. I love love love Amaryllis plants. They come in various forms, from a bulb, to a stalk and bulb, to a fully flowering plant. (There are now some with a red waxy ball that doesn’t even require watering.) You have to gauge whether your recipient would enjoy nurturing a plant or is the type to be happier with a bloom. I find it a tantalizing to watch the plant develop, fussing over the blades that are too long, the bulb that never seems to flower…. For even more masochistic fun, after blooming put the bulb away somewhere dark to go into dormancy. It’s a thrill if you manage to bring them back to glorious life the next year. Then again, just as often you blow the timing, or do something else wrong, and the poor thing sits inert and reproachful. Warning: This gift can turn into an obsession!
This year I have a new gift obsession. Lavender! I grow lavender because it’s beautiful and I love the scent (especially intoxicating at night). I had no idea how huge the plants would get, and I have a lot of them. I also learned after the fact that I had to cut back the stalks as well as prune them overall to maintain them. Lightbulb moment: I could harvest the buds from the stalks and make lavender sachets! I wisely decided not to sew the bags themselves (they are easily purchasable). I am just tickled with my adorable creations. Next year…lavender tea?
The Writing Life
In a scene in my novel The Stark Beauty of Last Things, my character Clancy heads to the Montauk lighthouse, at the tip of Long Island, to witness a kind of grand illumination, when thousands of holiday lights are turned on. It’s hard to overstate the drama of the lighthouse lit up this way, especially in the deep cold of winter and with the roar of the waves as backdrop. The lighthouse, always majestic, becomes extraordinary. Not even professional photos can capture how it feels to be there and see it in person. Still, I thought I’d share these few amateur shots. Usually I went late at night, after the crowds, to soak in the solitude. Majestic.
My Top 3 Favorite Reads of 2025
Asked to choose by the Shepherd website, a reader-centric site that is all about books, I decided on my three favorites of 2025. These novels left me awestruck.
Shepherd is a great place to discover books by category, author, and more. Have fun exploring!
Happy Holidays
What are the holidays if not for an excuse to indulge in your inner child? I’m happy to leave you with a few interior photos from the beautifully decorated mansion near where I live, Blythwold.
I'm such a Luddite that I've never tried to restack - I don't know if the problem might be on my end.
I'm impressed you've have a baggie drying rack - ahead of the curve!
Happy holidays!
I love your gift ideas. I need the plastic bag dryer as my faucet just doesn't cut it.