As a blogger and memoirist, I write real stories about mental illness, child abuse, language barriers, and identity. My debut memoir "I Asked the Blue Heron" is now available in stores and online in Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo.

Melanie Kaufman and Square One Yoga

In the last years, I have turned to yoga both as a low impact exercise and a spiritual practice in an effort to counteract the side effects of medication and find inner peace.

French Trail: Open the Senses

Octavia Buttler once said, “habit will sustain you whether you are inspired or not.” She said that in relation to writing, but I think it applies to life in general. Establishing an exercise habit is key to the success of my self-imposed, endorphin-producing regime. Yoga twice a week, once-a-week-walk in the San Leandro Marina, and…

Canyon Meadows at High Noon

I can’t see the future clearly, what’s far ahead is blurred behind a distant haze. I can only focus on what’s in front of me, the next step on the trail, one foot behind the other.