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To be a good writer, you need to be a good reader. I was indeed a voracious reader at an early age, consuming everything from Hardy Boys to Box Car Children books to short stories by Ray Bradbury. By the time I hit 8th grade, I was reading at a college level. Everything is easier...

Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy will celebrate International Literacy Day with a special program on Sept. 14 from 10 a.m. to noon in the Friends Meeting Room at the central library, 1000 Avocado Avenue. The event celebrates literacy achievements in the community and recognizes the...

I have a good friend who frequently uses the hashtag #raisingreaders on her social media posts. Truth be told, she is kind of a supermom, and while there are many things I adore about her, one of my favorite things is her dedication to instilling in her children a passion for...

Recently, I took a fifteen-hour road trip with my oldest son, ferrying him home from school for the measly three week break that will act as his “summer.” After flying in to help him move out of the dorm, and into his new digs, we made the trek back to California via the open...

The passing of Memorial Day ushers in a certain season. While the day itself is about somber reflections, and gratitude for sacrifices made on our behalf, it leaves in its wake a lightness – the ability to appreciate more fully the dawn of a new day, knowing the price that was...

Many people seem to view working in the restaurant industry as some sort of failure – a melting pot of people who either can’t or won’t get a “real job,” or who are still working their way towards the opportunity to find one. The reality is, while there are those types of...

If you’ve paid attention to the news lately, you surely will have noticed that scarcely a day goes by that we don’t have immigration featured prominently in our dialogue. As we adjust to a new administration, the topic has become even more widely considered. What do we do with...

How far would you go to fulfill a promise to a friend? In the new book, “The Women in the Castle,” the answer for protagonist, Marianne, is, as far as it takes. The Under Cover Book Club selection for April, by Jessica Shattuck, takes place mostly during the period immediately...

“The world is not dying. It is not falling apart. It’s changing…What young generation has ever come into its own in a world free of peril?” So says Dr. Wade Davis, renowned anthropologist, National Geographic explorer, and professor, when asked his opinion on the state of our...

The Newport Beach Public Library’s board of trustees is moving forward with improvements to the Corona del Mar branch, despite a recent setback to a full remodel and adjoining fire station. After the anticipated $8 million plan was approved by the city in 2015, the current...

Who doesn’t fondly remember their set of Little Golden Books? Just thinking of the small volumes with their golden-bound spines, adorned with animals and flowers, is like taking a trip back to childhood. In fact, it’s quite possible that these unassuming little books are...

Those of you that recognize the name Jean Hastings Ardell, likely know her as both the columnist who writes the Indy’s own “Left of Center” political column, and a staunch local Democrat. What you may not know about Ardell, however, is that she is an equally staunch fan of the...

Those of you that recognize the name Jean Hastings Ardell, likely know her as both the columnist who writes the Indy’s own “Left of Center” political column, and a staunch local Democrat. What you may not know about Ardell, however, is that she is an equally staunch fan of the...

Sometimes, as a writer, you come across a story so compelling and so remarkable, that telling it becomes almost a duty. Such is the case of the recently released book, and Under Cover Book Club selection for March, “The Orphan Keeper,” by Camron Wright. Wright is no stranger to...

With Valentine’s Day having just passed, I’m sure there are more than a few of us who have been hit with a case of the “inequivalent gift blues.” Perhaps your loving husband brought you a little blue box, and you gave him some store-bought sugar cookies? A night at Nobu met with...

Love is in the air, and perhaps also on your TV screen. Of course, the word love is subjective, as is the love story depicted in the new Amazon original series, “Z: The Beginning of Everything.” Recounting the saga of one of the literary world’s most well-known love stories, “Z”...

Happy February! As we draw a big red “X” through the first month of this new year, there is much to look forward to – more political unrest, polarizing views on social media, and thankfully, a new Under Cover Book Club read to escape into, when the former two become a little hard...

It is an interesting time in America’s history. In what has become easily one of the most contentious political landscapes our nation has seen, many are feeling apprehensive and unsure of the direction we will be moving under the leadership of our newly elected...

Reading is a poor man’s airplane. It allows us to travel far and wide, experiencing new lands and foreign cultures, all while our feet remain firmly planted in the same spot. It allows us to experience, if but for a brief moment, a reality that is different from ours,...

The Newport Beach Public Library has a long history of both recognizing, and sharing excellence through their myriad community lecture series. This month, the tradition lives on, as the library continues its nod to the Pulitzer Prize, with the upcoming Library Live appearance of...