Tag Archives: Maril

Lindy Hop, Swing, The Spanish Ballroom and Learning to Let Go

Saturday night I went swing dancing.  I didn’t see any zoot suits, but being that it was St. Patrick’s Day weekend, I saw men in green derby hats sporting suspenders and women wearing emerald glitter headbands,  full skirts and short crinolines.  We weren’t just anywhere, we were at the Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo locatedContinue reading “Lindy Hop, Swing, The Spanish Ballroom and Learning to Let Go”

What Does a Mote Spoon and a Red Violin Have To Do With Creativity?

This year’s AWP ( Association of Writers and Writing Programs) conference was held in Seattle, Washington and it ran from Thursday March 8th through Saturday March 11th. Even though I wasn’t there, I felt like I was, because my email box kept filling up with notices pertaining to everything that was going on: workshops, readings,Continue reading “What Does a Mote Spoon and a Red Violin Have To Do With Creativity?”

The “S” in Sci-Fi is for Surprise

I’m specifically attracted to work that contemplates philosophical and spiritual questions…

Writing Tools to QuickStart Your Memoir

I was straightening out a bookshelf and I noticed a gift I’d forgotten about, a large  hardback  with a floral cover I’d catalogued with the cookbooks. The title, “A Mother’s Journal.”  Divided into sections, it has questions such as “Where I lived” and “What I remember about my family home” and  “How Your Father andContinue reading “Writing Tools to QuickStart Your Memoir”

Remembering My Father Herman Maril

This essay was originally published in Chesapeake Taste Magazine in June 2012 When I was 15 years old, I traveled to Mexico with my parents. It was the first time any of us had visited another country (although my father had served in World War II, he was never shipped overseas). An artist and headContinue reading “Remembering My Father Herman Maril”

Tell the Truth—Are Americans Honest? What Happened to Being a Good Sport?

From an early age we are taught sportsmanship. It’s an honor to play on a team. The benefits are great. When a player is injured on the field, in youth sports, everyone sits.

Herman Maril, Father’s Day Appreciation

Dad enjoyed the interaction of looking at student’s work and discussing with them what they thought they saw. He’d ask them questions and they would have to rethink how they’d put their perceptions down on paper, analyzing ways to make their work better. I sensed their respect and enjoyment of the class as soon as they entered the room and it made me feel proud.

Farewell to Blob’s Park; A Baltimore Legend and Annapolis Favorite Hang-out

Blob’s Park is closing in less than one month.   And I for one am going to miss its unique attributes. Where else could you go to get authentic German food, listen to live music, go waltzing across a dance floor and feel as if you’d stepped back in time to the 1960s?  In recent years,Continue reading “Farewell to Blob’s Park; A Baltimore Legend and Annapolis Favorite Hang-out”