No doubt, we are overwhelmed by news in these times. I'm listening to Ian McEwan's book, What We Can Know, and its futuristic look back at both information sharing and truth in contemporary time is disturbing and thought provoking. Many of my friends and supporters are pulling out of social media altogether, which I understand. … Continue reading Engaging Readers Amid Social Media Fatigue
A few years ago when at our family cabin in Ocean Park, dear neighbor Sandy dropped by, gifting us a copy of the Coast Weekend with an article about my then new book Humanity's Grace. While I had seen the article online, I had not yet realized the news source was a printed weekly magazine. … Continue reading A Map of Her Own: Circling Back
It never fails. Just when I'm unsure I have another blog in me, a new inspiration floats in. Today it is a memory about a set of glass goblets, and the Oregonian's front page story celebrating 175 years since its birth. Today's Oregonian article celebrates the anniversary of the first printing of the Oregonian. That … Continue reading From Newspapers to Glass Goblets: Creatively Weaving Fact into Story
This October of 2025 has been a big month. In addition to my usual October Celebrations like my birthday (this year 64) and wedding anniversary (37!), I published a book (my sixth). Too, although recently claiming retirement, I agreed to present a keynote and session at an early October industrial hygiene conference. I too struggle … Continue reading Take a Breath
UPDATED: As of Wed., October 22 A Map of Her Own is now readily available on Amazon for the retail price of $16.95. Find it here. That being said, you can still find it under the other book buying options listed below. It's a good thing this wasn’t my first or second, or perhaps even … Continue reading A Map of Her Own: Testing My Limits
Keynote talk at the 2023 ASSP WISE (Women in Safety Excellence) event at Oregon Governor's Occupational Safety and Health Conference. My mom was a bit younger than I am now when she retired from her adjunct faculty position at Marylhurst. It was a difficult choice as she loved what she did, but an autoimmune illness … Continue reading Embracing Retirement: A Journey of Growth and Mentorship
In May 2014, two months before Dad died, my parents joined me as I presented a talk at OHSU on behalf of Oregon's Safety Break for our Institute's science seminar. It was a day to advocate for workplace safety, and I created a slide deck with images purchased from John Klatt, founder of Old Oregon … Continue reading Grieving the Loss, Embracing the Launch: My Parents’ Impact on My Writing
Hawaiian women pack pineapple into cans, November 20, 1928. View in National Archives Catalog When I began graduate school in 1984 at the University of Washington School of Public Health, I thought I wanted to work in water quality. Yet that first quarter (Tony Horstman and Mike Morgan's) industrial hygiene class opened my eyes. I learned … Continue reading The Fight for Workers’ Rights: A Labor Day Reflection meets “A Map of Her Own”
Maybe there’s a pattern or maybe it’s happenstance. After I published my first memoir, I felt for the first time in adulthood that I could write a novel. Allowing myself to tell my own story in My Music Man, fed by memories of my past and stories lived by others, invited my brain to be … Continue reading A Map of Her Own: Navigating Dual Timelines in Fiction
Dede's Books and blog 