I want to take a moment to acknowledge the passing of Amanda Davis. She died in a plane crash Friday along with her parents (her father was piloting a private plane; he was taking Amanda on her book tour. Her amazing first novel, Wonder When You'll Miss Me--a title which takes on heartbreaking significance now--was just released this month. She was also the author of an incredible book of short stories, Circling the Drain.) I was just getting to know Amanda, and was so touched by her deep talent, by her kindness and humor and zest for life. I am still in a state of shock. We are trying to get her novel on the bestseller list as a tribute--please consider buying a copy; you won't regret it (although when you read her work you will certainly mourn the loss of such a wild and beautiful talent, such a generous human being). To read some beautiful tributes about her life, visit McSweeney's.

Hey, guess what?! I won 2nd place in that 24 hour short story contest I mentioned earlier--a nice surprise. You can read the story here, if you'd like.

I will be teaching a Fruitflesh workshop at a conference this weekend, Women Envisioning the Future (part of the global Gather the Women movement to take place on International Women's Day, March 8th.) The event is being held at CSUSB, from 9-4. Admission ($25) includes all kinds of wonderful workshops--art, movement, peace-making, yoga, spirituality--plus speakers, panel discussions, a spiral dance, and more. It should be a really lovely day. For more information, please visit the Women Creating Peace Collective's website. You can also visit Gather the Women to find out about other events, worldwide.