Remembering my Mentor on International Women’s Day

I met Dr. Ruth O’Neal in 1975 when I was applying to medical schools. A gruff, older, white-haired lady, she was one of several doctors who interviewed me at Bowman Gray School of Medicine, now called Wake Forest. I remember it so clearly. I wanted medical school more...

Spending a Weekend with Other Writers

My husband (yes, he writes, too) and I just spent the weekend at a writers’ conference at the Georgia Writers Museum in Eatonton, GA.  (https://www.georgiawritersmuseum.org/2023-writers-retreat/#top) There were 50-60 of us there, all kinds of writers, in all...

On Being a Guest Editor

I just did something I’ve never done before; I was the guest editor for a medical magazine. I was giving a lecture at an annual conference at Emory School of Medicine, and fell into a conversation with Dr. Barry Silverman, one of the other speakers. Barry, an...

Inspired by the Georgia Writers Museum

I’m just back from a weekend at the fascinating Georgia Writers Museum (https://www.georgiawritersmuseum.org/) in Eatonton, Georgia, near Lake Oconee. I’m all charged up to write! Who knew that 3 famous authors – Flannery O’Conner, Alice Walker and Joel Chandler...

A Medical Mardi Gras Story

It’s Mardi Gras season, years ago. Karen, my medical school roommate, and I are newly out of residency and in our first practices; she’s in Cardiology, and I’m in Pediatrics.  We have met in New Orleans for fun, food, parades and a break from our new jobs. The...

Sea Island Creativity Conference

Every January, my husband and I look forward to attending the Creativity Conference at The Cloister at Sea Island, Georgia. First of all, you can’t beat the surroundings. The Cloister is timeless and elegant, and the surrounding lush gardens help you forget it is the...