I’ve been bingeing on Friday Night Lights this weekend (when I’m not reading Sophocles), and among the many things I love about it is how every single character is a great American stereotype, and yet they all feel very true to me. It’s almost like the more cliched they are, the more I believe in them (true blue quarterback, drunken hottie best friend, beautiful cheer leader they are both in love with, stalwart coach, loyal, supportive wife with the longest waviest red hair and good sense, painfully shy guy, painfully awkward guy, sexy girl flunking out, etc.) I’ve been able to predict how every story line was going to conclude, and I still cried at the end of every episode. My whole writing life, I’ve admired subtlety, nuance, ambiguity, grey area, etc. Why am I so in love with Tim Riggins?

Who is your favorite stereotype?

Filed under: Uncategorized | 20 Comments »

I’ve had the great privilege of working with Neil deGrasse Tyson since 1989 when he published Merlin’s Tour of the Universe. His new book, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry debuted at #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List and is still there a month later. Congrats, Neil! I urge you to take a peek if you’ve ever wondered about stars and galaxies and black holes and dark matter, and ultimately your place in the universe. Until I read Neil’s books, I thought I was at its center. Spoiler alert:

What’s your place in the universe?

Filed under: Uncategorized | 14 Comments »