I have Mr. Johnson to thank for making me realize there is power in words.  In 6th grade, girls were not allowed to be on Safety Patrol.  I protested to our school principal (Mr. Johnson), asking him why that should be the case.  He challenged me:  write a one-page essay convincing him otherwise. (Ha, never let a good challenge go to waste.)  I would love to think he was impressed with my lexical mastery, but really, I think he was tired of being bugged.  My main line of intellectual reasoning went something like this:  "Because it's just not FAIR!"  He changed his policy and made me Lieutenant.  It was a delicious win.

        Social justice is still important to me, and is a central theme in Running from Moloka'i.

        I live on Puget Sound in Washington state,  My interests include designing and installing ponds and waterfalls, doing computer art, and playing pickleball.

        If you are a young writer, I mean to encourage you.  Take classes, join critique groups, attend film school if you can.  And above all, develop steel toes.  They come in handy.....