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Recent Posts
- Psaltery & Lyre’s New Site
- 123 Psaltery & Lyre: “Agricola Dreams of Flying” by J. Rose Lara
- 122 Psaltery & Lyre: “Communion: a love poem (a villanelle)” by Rachel Bollinger
- Book Review: Philip Metres’s Sand Opera
- 121 Psaltery & Lyre: Rachael Matthews, “Horsehead Nebula”
- Book Review: Monica Ong’s Silent Anatomies
- 120 Psaltery & Lyre: Rachael Matthews, “Return, pt. III” and “Gaia”
- Book Review: Claudia Rankine’s Don’t Let Me Be Lonely
- Book Review: Matthea Harvey, If the Tabloids Are True What Are You?
- Book Review: LoterÃa Cards and Fortune Poems: A Book of Lives
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Tag Cloud
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Knit Together Archive
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To Read or Not to Read (Your Teenager’s Private Business)
When I was a teenager, I kept a journal. I wrote in it a lot. I sometimes worried... -
Restoring America?
Politics is like blood sport at our house. We love it. I have a picture of Kennedy as... -
College Success 101
I teach some combination of undergraduate teacher education courses and graduate education courses. Most of my students are college... -
Savoring (or failing to savor) the Present
On one of the nights in the last two weeks when the Olympics were on, I got up from my... -
Whole Lotta Hate
There’s an awful lot of “hate” being thrown around on-line and in the media these days. Mormons and evangelicals... -
Olympic Moms
I’ve been really enjoying watching the Olympics the last few days. The kids planned an opening ceremonies party on... -
Scrapping the Scouts?
Stuart started participated in Cub Scouts last year when he turned 8 (which is when Mormon boys start participating in... -
The Green Room Piano
Growing up in the Olson household, playing the piano was just something you did-kinda like breathing or eating. There... -
Help Wanted: Punishing tweens and teens
When I was a tween/teen, we didn’t ever really get punished-at least I don’t remember being punished. We didn’t... -
On conquering our fears
My Stuart is a pretty cautious kid. (That’s a nice way of saying he’s scared. Of pretty much... -
525,600 minutes
We’re on a family trip. Notice that I didn’t call it a family “vacation” because that implies rest and... -
Sometimes I Feel Like a Nut
Last week I read this comment in an online Facebook group: “My daughter’s handout from Young Women’s today: Your greatest... -
I’m not a Runner
I recently went to the doctor to discuss my “blood pressure issue” (read = I have high blood pressure). ... -
Letting Live
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that my perspective on life is limited. Life itself is complex and multi-faceted,... -
On Parental Hope and Heartbreak
I’ve read two things recently that bothered me-perhaps especially as the wife of Mr. Cheap Seats. Exhibit A: An... -
Sunday Morning
Today’s guest post was originally published by Marion Jensen on his personal blog: The Open Author. Our gratitude to... -
This is Nutters
[This is me sighing.] I’ve written a few times here about modesty. Some might think I sound like... -
A Tradition Not Worth Preserving
I’m nearly 20 years removed from the dating scene, so it goes without saying that I do not have my... -
On immodest angels . . .
I’m not a fan of censorship. Don’t even get me started on book banning. So when I saw... -
To my Children’s Other-Mothers
Mother’s Day is not my favorite for a number of reasons. Sometimes I wish that Mother’s Day meant I... -
Better Safe than Sorry
Last week our little town had a kerfuffle (although some would say it was much more than a kerfuffle). ... -
Stuart, Swimming Upstream
Two dumb things happened to Stuart this week. Exhibit A: Stuart and Marin participated in a dance competition in... -
No Child Left Untested
This is a pretty tired subject, I realize. I’m a professor in a teacher education program, so we talk... -
Proof that Society has Jumped the Shark?
Stealing a line from my high school friend, Jeremy, who posted this video gem on Facebook today, along with this... -
Unforgettable Images
Many Mormons (adults included) don’t watch R-rated movies. The oft-cited rationale is that once you see those images (“those... -
On Being Cut Out of the Program
We had a beautiful Easter weekend that included a blissful day of cousin-ing with two out of my three siblings... -
Mormon Motherhood: Spiritual Buzzkill
I’ve been thinking lately about how interesting it is that Mormon church leaders place such high priority on getting married... -
Reconsider Reading The Book of Mormon to Your Kids
Today’s guest post, written by Angela, is based on “Consider Skipping Hunger Games” by James T. Summerhays. ; As a... -
On Packing (and unpacking) a Life
My family and I just moved from one house to another in the same town, so I know precisely how... -
On turning 12
I am fifteen years into this whole parenthood project and I am only sort of embarrassed to admit that I... -
I Missed the Sweet Spot
Sigh. I’ve been so anxious for my kids to get older, I forgot to enjoy what I’m now realizing... -
The Sacredness of Manhood
Today’s guest post comes to us from Angela Felsted, who is a musician, poet, and nature lover. Her work has... -
Why don’t Mormons celebrate Lent?
Today is Ash Wednesday. Before I spent eight years in Louisiana, I would not even have known what Ash... -
Ebony and Ivory: discussing the politics of race with young children
In the post-Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday period and in the midst of Black History Month, my kindergartner has had... -
Defying Gender Stereotypes
This is one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a long time. I’m thrilled to share this with... -
Inviting the demons in for tea
As my son and I approached the enclosure at the dog park yesterday, we were excited to see another Samoyed... -
Are all white people racist?
I recently saw this embarrassment of a video on Facebook: http://youtu.be/XGeMy-6hnr0 There are so many things wrong with the video,... -
Mind the Gap
I recently re-read Carol Lynn Pearson’s amazing No More Goodbyes: Circling the Wagons around Our Gay Loved Ones for the... -
You Lost Me
By day, I fancy myself a qualitative researcher. That means that people’s stories matter to me-significantly more than their... -
Pura Vida
I just spent two weeks in Costa Rica. Technically, it was for work, but it was very un-work-like. ... -
Why All Mormon Women Should Wear Pants to Church
[Photo Credit] This guest post is written by BDBeal. Yes, it’s a post about women’s dress written by a... -
And You and Me Are…
My mother made the dolls by hand. She lovingly stuffed their life-sized bodies, making small neat stitches in their elbow... -
Guilty as charged?
If there’s guilt to be had, I seem to want more than my fair share of it. I feel guilty... -
Christmas Eve on the Mighty Mississipp’
We spent eight really fun years in Louisiana (2000-2008). It’s a pretty unique place. The people there know how to... -
(Near) Death by Supposed-to’s
I am realizing these days that I do a LOT of stuff because I’m supposed to. Mel calls this her... -
Mormon RUMPspringa: When Mormons Go Worldly
In light of the silly controversy that occurred last week at BYU-Idaho wherein a female student was denied access to... -
When Kids Don’t Believe
I never had much angst about the whole Santa thing. We did Santa when I was a kid, but not... -
Happiness Project 2011/12
I’ve read a number of challenge books this year. You know what I mean-a new genre seems to have emerged... -
I am thankful for . . .
In the first couple of days of November, I had the brilliant idea to go to the teacher supply store... -
Pursuing Youth and Beauty: Why You Should Never Stop
Today’s guest post comes to us from Bella Swan. A few short years after my husband, Edward, turned me into...