Amber McClain Shaw

These fragments of urban life feel like small offerings, reminders that something tender still hums beneath the noise.

Kris Downey writes about a 40-foot motorhome, a poodle named Rigby, and her husband’s vow never to move to California. Spoiler: he’s now happily retired in SoCal — kale boycott still in place.
 

What happens when comfort starts to feel like confinement? Mary Matlack’s reflections on letting go of a longtime home — and finding joy in the freedom that follows.
 

After 16 years in the Bay Area, Kristine TenBrink and her husband decided to trade train horns for trailheads — and learn the fine art of “the purge.” Her advice for anyone considering a move: stop buying new stuff now.

Perfectionism does sometimes work out.

Impressions of Santa Fe and Taos New Mexico; the rez dogs, the murals, the doors and the aliens.

There is a doctor in the house.

We haven't ever had a doctor in our family. We haven't had a data scientist or a supply chain manager either, until recently. Firsts seem to run in the family.

Crossing the Border: A Glimpse into the Other Side
What Divides Us Isn’t What You Think

Inspired in part by Jenny Holzer's artwork titled Inflammatory Essays, 1979-82, offset posters on colored paper, located at The Broad, Los Angeles

I'm not getting older; I'm evolving. Well, ok, we are all getting older, but it's much more enjoyable if you are also evolving.

The first and only time I've been featured on the front page of a newspaper, and I totally embarrassed myself by mentioning what I missed about home.

The time I sat next to someone famous for six hours but never figured out who he was.

Walking West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz inspires poems of indigo, tattoos and ink

I went to Chicago to start on my book and got more inspiration than I could have hoped for from a stranger.

Collaborative art, the eclipse, the best bar in the country, and a Moth Story Slam. The Erma magic followed me all the way home!

Essential take-aways from my second Erma Bombeck Writer's Workshop in Dayton, Ohio.

I thought it would be fun. It's not. OK, it's not that bad.

I have a neighbor who rides his bike every day past my house. It’s not your usual daily ride. There is something rather magical and murderous about it.
 

My word of the year for 2023 was Yes. It didn't always work out.

I Know People Who Buy Art