Although my New Orleans days are in the rearview, the city and its people left a big imprint on me.

Today began like most of my days at home, with me drinking a hot cup of tea on my patio. I listen to one of my favorite sounds, the sweet laughter of children from the summer camp at the school adjacent to our house.

How do you feel about Joan Didion? Read on to see why I’m not a huge fan.

Eileen Zain Pensky is a mother of four, grandmother of 11 and great-grandmother of 16.

This photograph of a flood-displaced toddler practicing walking was on display in the Hurricane Katrina Foundation in New Orleans, which I recently visited.

One of the perks of being a professional storyteller is that going to the movies is part of the job!

Although I no longer professionally review personal statements for college applications, two young adults whom I hold in high regard asked me to take a look at their essays this year. I was thrilled to. More importantly, I was wowed by their points of view. Seriously WOWED.

As someone who actively blogged for nine years, you’d think this post would be easy to write. In fact, I was so overwhelmed with emotion thinking about the ways it would help people connect with their loved ones that it took me a few drafts to concisely articulate my WHY. Here goes!