First published through my Water's Edge Press newsletterLast week was Banned Books Week, an annual event coordinated by the American Library Association. When I taught high school English, I was eager to engage my students. We made displays, discussed the issues, and I hope, understood in the end how lucky…

They are ubiquitous in Southern Arizona--hummingbirds. So are the various types of hummingbird feeders that people hang from their patios to attract the birds for a closer look. There is something special about these birds--their tiny size, the whirr of their vibrating wings, the way they can hover in air--makes…