You’re Invited — Art Exibit INSIDE the American Gothic House
On Saturday, March 19 — one week from today — from 1 to 5 PM, I will take a day off from working on my book, clear my laptop off my kitchen table, and open the doors of my house for people to come inside. The occasion is an art exhibit, to showcase the paintings […]
Do You Miss Me? I Miss You
Do you miss me? I miss you. Writing this book is hard work and taking up all my time. I miss writing the shorter, instant-gratification, essay-length blog posts. I miss writing about my adventures in rural Iowa, about how when the snow melted and I was so excited about the spring thaw, my Mini got stuck […]
MY FIRST BOOK PUBLISHING DEAL!
I have been writing all my life and while my byline has frequently appeared in some of the country’s top magazines, I always dreamed of writing a book, of being a published author. On Friday, February 18, 2011, four days ago–sixteen months before I turn 50, and eighteen months after my husband Marcus died–the Elusive Book Deal finally […]
Baking a Book in the American Gothic House
My apologies for my infrequent posts as of late. I’ve been busy. Not because I was traveling to Chicago to hand out free slices of pie on National Pie Day. No, I rarely travel these days. I can almost always be found at home, in the American Gothic House, in my pajamas, 24/7, not driving […]
Crazy for Ham Balls
No, ham balls are not pig testicles. On Monday I was invited to “dinner” by Eldon’s mayor, Shirley Stacey. First of all, let it be known when someone invites you to “dinner” in Southeast Iowa, they do not mean come over after work. Dinner is served promptly at noon. “Supper” is the term for the evening […]
There’s No Place Like Home (Yes, Eldon, Iowa)
One week ago today I drove to Chicago, to spend the weekend participating in National Pie Day activities. Even though this “pie holiday” should have been as exciting to me as, say, Thanksgiving—after all, pie is “my thing”—it was hard to get enthused about extracting myself from the comfort of my house to make the […]
My NPR Debut: In Case You Missed It
Every morning I start my day by snuggling with Team Terrier in my bed directly behind the famous window of the American Gothic House, after which I go downstairs to make a cafe latte, hitting the “on” button of the radio on my desk as I pass by. The first voices I hear each day […]
The World Needs More…Artists
I had an old boyfriend who insisted that in his house he would hang only original art. This guy wasn’t an artist, and he was broke, but by god he wasn’t going to have any cheap posters adorning his living room walls. Even if they represented Picasso or Matisse. I remember rolling my eyes at […]
Revisiting Grandma Genny’s Workplace…and Her Crumble Topping Recipe!
City Clerk Ann Cullinan with my Grandma Genny’s recipe Life back in Iowa can often be strange and wonderful. It seems every week brings a new surprise, often in the form of a renewed connection to my roots. Roots I didn’t even know I still had. I came back to my birthplace of Ottumwa, Iowa […]
Pies, Cupcakes, Can’t We All Just Get Along?
It started in October, when Nation’s Restaurant News reported that trendspotter and San Francisco-based restaurant consultant Andrew Freeman predicted 2011 was going to be the Year of the Pie. “If I had one trend — one trend — of the year that I could predict, that’s why it’s in the No. 1 position, this would […]