Stroking his tiny head–no bigger than a golf ball–has the same calming effect on me as the slow raking of sand in a zen garden, or letting grains of rice slowly slip between my fingers. His featherlight body–he weighs next to nothing (typically around 133 grams)–is surprisingly warm where he has settled in the palm of my left hand as if it were a nest, and almost as surprising as his warmth is his purr, because this little green creature nestled in my hand is not a kitten, but a bird. A quaker parrot named Archie, and he feels like a tiny, tingling cloud curled up in my hand, his purrs vibrating up my arm, right up my heart strings.
He climbs up that very same arm, sits on my shoulder, and rubs his smooth, warm beak up and down my cheek. Surfing, it’s called. It’s a gesture of love and trust. My fingers find his little feet and rub his rough toes and smooth nails, feeling the feathers of his chest graze the tops of my fingers. A feeling of gratitude and good fortune washes over me, because Archie wasn’t in our plans. Arhcie was happenstance. Archie was good luck. Archie was a surprise of the very best variety.
He scoots a little closer to my face, tucks his soft feather-cloud of a head snuggly into my eye socket, flicks his wings, settling in. I feel the subtle thrum of his purr and the awe of wondering what might happen next, of feeling like anything is possible. Because if I can end up with a 25-year-old little green potato asleep on my shoulder–if Archie can happen–anything can happen.
I finished drafts of my Author’s Note and Acknowledgements, and submitted both to my writing buddies in Prose and Cons for feedback.
I’m eager for the results of the James River Writers Best Unpublished Novel Contest, which will be announced in June, but I’m also enjoying the anticipation. It’s fun to hope.
I talk a little bit about The Good Curse on a recent episode of Drinking With Authors. I hope you’ll check it out! Nacho makes a quick cameo and Archie makes quite an extended appearance.
Registration is open for the next Wild Senses workshop, which will focus on the sense of smell and feature co-hosts Frick and Frack, two adorable (de-scented) skunks. This workshop will take place on June 27. We’ll write with pigeons on August 1 and a fox on October 3. Keep a lookout for registration for these one-of-a-kind wildlife writing experiences.
Here’s what a participant in our most recent workshop, focused on touch with reptiles, said about the experience:
After attending the first workshop, I was looking forward to the focus of the workshop, leaving all the cares at the door and just writing, meditating and enjoying the animals. It's such a supportive environment. The most valuable part of the experience is taking the lessons learned home with me and incorporating them into my everyday life. — Joyce Miller, author
In this playful, dog-friendly writing workshop scheduled to take place at Book People, we will explore how we relate to our dogs, examine how our dogs relate to the world, and enhance our relationship with our dogs through creative writing. Dogs are welcome to attend each session of this dog-centric writing workshop, which will take place on two Saturday evenings in July, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Registration is $60/person (dogs are free). If all goes well, an extended, five-week version of the workshop should take place this fall.
This workshop is currently in development. I’ve created twelve prompts and have a virtual meeting scheduled with a grief counselor next week to see what a collaboration might look like.
On May 7, my interview with bestselling author Nick Savage, host of the podcast Drinking with Authors, dropped. You can watch the full episode here and an abbreviated version here—but if you want to see a cameo by Nacho and a pretty extended guest appearance by Archie (and who wouldn’t?), I recommend the full episode on the YouTube channel. Drinking with Authors is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Amazon Podcasts.
Last night, Prose and Cons met at my house. We discussed our writing lives over Chinese takeout while Archie sat on my shoulder and The Littles rested in their beds nearby.
I finished reading but am still digesting and annotating Irene M. Pepperberg’s Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Uncovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence—and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process.
Currently, I’m reading David Poyer’s Writing in the Age of AI: What you Need to Know to Survive and Thrive.
Archie enjoys head “scritches” perched on my shoulder.
Archie lowers his head for “scritches.”
Archie sits on my shoulder at the front door to watch cars drive by.
The Littles enjoy a Mother’s Day picnic at Rural Plains.
Soda inquires as to when, exactly, I plan to grant her access to my parents’ sunny, waterfront porch.
Nacho utilizes his puppy pillow on a drive home from a weekend visit to the Northern Neck.
A wool sower gall on a tree branch
Mock orange (I think?) blooms along a local trail.
A really cool mushroom in my yard
Wild Senses: A Mindful Creative Writing Workshop
June 27, 2026 | 10 a.m.-12 p.m. | Possumbilities, Fredericksburg, VA
This third class will focus on the sense of smell and feature skunk co-hosts Frick and Frack from Awesome Possumz, with future workshops featuring each of the remaining two senses. Registration is $30, plus an item for the rescue.
Mind the Dog: A Writer’s Best Friend: Nurturing Your Relationship with Your Dogs through Writing
July 11 & 25, 2026 | 7 p.m.-9 p.m. | Book People, Henrico, VA
In this playful, dog-friendly writing workshop we will explore how we relate to our dogs, examine how our dogs relate to the world, and enhance our relationship with our dogs through creative writing. Dogs are welcome to attend each session of this dog-centric writing workshop. Registration is $60.
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