I can’t think of a year wrought with more challenges than 2020. I certainly wouldn’t blame anyone for being resentful over the missed milestones including graduations, proms, or for having to delay major life events including weddings or even big…

Last night I got a text from my cousin Danny who told me that he was watching It’s a Wonderful Life and that sparked a memory of a piece that I had published in my local paper, The Stamford Advocate, eight years ago which was entitled   Listen…

Last week I spoke with a Bostonian named Mary who took a trip to Jamaica during Covid where she was dubbed The White Oprah. Mary lives with Multiple Sclerosis and my conversation with her reminded me about a few things. Life is about weighing risk…

Shelley Zalis and Dr. Colleen Georges

This week, while doing some interviews for a travel client, I met a young man named Matthew reminded me that there is joy in service.  My conversation with him got me to thinking about how my mother, the church lady of Stamford, CT, would…

Last week I reconnected with an old college friend, Kevin Savage, who recently that got me to thinking about the things that are really important in life. It also reminded me of some conversations I had with three strangers who reminded me how…

When I was a kid, sometimes TV shows would have the very special episode, which would deal with a difficult or controversial subject. Do you remember these? Topics dealt with things such as AIDS, teen pregnancy, or drug use. Memorable ones include The…

Author of Off the Back of a Truck: Unofficial contraband for the Soprano’s Fan

Otto Penzler is regarded as the world’s foremost authority on crime, mystery and suspense fiction. He founded The Mysterious Press in 1975, which he later sold to Warner Books (1989). He reacquired the imprint in 2010 and it now publishes original…

Emmy Award Winning Filmmaker and Executive Director of the Invisible Disabilities® Association