I’m not a native of the South. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, went to graduate school throughout the Midwest, and wound up in Texas as the result of my job. Mike and…

If childhood is the springtime of our lives, and the lazy days of summer are our teenage and young adult years, then surely middle age is our autumn. Abundant and meditative, autumn has always…

For someone with a Ph.D. in English, I have surprisingly few pet peeves when it comes to grammatical errors. Of course, that’s true of most people with advanced degrees in English. At a certain…

Over the summer, my life as a professor looks very different from the way it looks during the academic year.  Sometimes summer looks like a break–I don’t get up and go to work every…

If you’re preparing to send a kid away to college, you’re probably feeling overwhelmed. You’re asking yourself questions like What if he needs something I didn’t send with him? What if her roommates have…

This post is the first in a series aimed at parents of new college students. I invite you to read the other posts in this series as well: What Your Student Really Needs for…

Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only. If you’re struggling with anxiety, seek the help of a qualified medical professional.    Depression and anxiety run in my family. My mom struggled with them for…