Monday, December 2, 2013

Blogging Here and There

Okay, so clearly I haven't been blogging here in quite awhile. I'm still not ready, though, to call this blog defunct.  Maybe on a temporary hiatus.

But I wanted to let you know that I have been blogging and writing elsewhere. 

First, and hot off the press, I wrote another piece for Bloom about another little known Barbara.  (I've decided that's my Bloom niche--writers named Barbara who are well known in their own countries and nearly unknown here.)  First, it was Barbara Trapido.  Today, it was Barbara Anderson, a writer from New Zealand who started writing in her 60s and published 11 books in the next 20 years. 


Barbara Anderson, Unavoidably Detained

Even though this blog has been silent, for the past few months, I've been blogging weekly for the Hampshire College Food, Farm and Sustainability program.  My job was to collect a CSA share from the Hampshire Farm every week and then cook with the produce.  Lucky me! I had a great time, and there's a whole range of recipes over there, from Nigel Slater's Chocolate-Beet Cake to yummy Sri Lankan Butternut Curry and many more.  There will be a few more holiday posts up in the next few weeks, so keep your eye out for them.  (This week, I am taking a wee break. Even though I was not primarily responsible for the food at either of the two Thanksgiving dinners I attended (thankfully not on the same day), I did make 3 desserts (dark chocolate tart, chocolate cream pie and Dorie Greenspan's All-in-One Holiday Bundt Cake), and I need a little breather.) 

A few other things.  I've had some assignments from Amherst magazine as well over the past few months.

There's the essay on crashing my 25th college reunion: The Reunion Crasher

And a book review of Jennifer Cody Epstein's lovely new novel: The Gods of Heavenly Punishment

I have a few more newsy pieces in the current issue, including one about the guy who went from Russian major to Green Beret to med student.

So, here's my blogging goal here.  I leave for India on December 29.  It is my fervent hope that I will finish the post about the trip to Scotland Alex and I took . . . in May.  Yes, that's very lame, I realize, but so be it. 

And in the meantime, Happy December!