Jenny RunkelJan 15, 20212 minBookshelf: YearningsRabbi Irwin Kula's book Yearnings has been on our bookshelf for approximately forever. I TOTALLY judge a book by its cover and this one...
Jenny RunkelMay 27, 202010 minHistory, Teachers, and TitlesPretty much every good thing I know about writing I learned by writing for one man, in one class. He absolutely changed the course of my...
Jenny RunkelApr 4, 20203 minDefying GravityI have spent a few days distancing myself from social media. It’s been revelatory, to say the least. Here are the things I’m learning...
Jenny RunkelMar 24, 20203 minRamona ForeverThis week has been one of the hardest weeks of our collective lives. So much uncertainty, so much restlessness, so little to do. And...
Jenny RunkelMar 23, 20202 minCookie MonsterI'm convinced that social media is the chocolate chip cookie of connection. Once I start, I stop only with great difficulty and I always...
Jenny RunkelMar 20, 20203 minA Poet's CallI spent almost half of my life teaching high school English. I retired last year and up until about a week ago, when people asked me if I...
Jenny RunkelMar 18, 20203 minBack in TimeParents, I’m here with a message from the future. One day, sooner than you can possibly imagine, your child will have lives of their own...
Jenny RunkelMar 11, 20202 minWrite NowIf your household is anything like mine, you are having some pretty serious conversations and concerns over the state of affairs we are...
Jenny RunkelFeb 21, 20205 minThe Magic SoupI spent years in the classroom helping students appreciate the creative fruits of artists and express themselves with clarity and...
Jenny RunkelFeb 8, 20204 minThe BS of “Bloom Where You’re Planted”For Mother’s Day several years ago, my children bought me two small fig trees. It was an amazingly sweet gesture. It wasn’t a secret that...
Jenny RunkelJan 18, 20204 minThe Cutest Boy in the NeighborhoodMy dad worked his way up the ranks of a petroleum company in the oil boom of the 1970s and 80s by selling “mud”, the fluid used in...
Jenny RunkelDec 20, 20196 minBecause Sharing Your Story MattersOn the way to the vet yesterday, Bentley the wondernugget and I hit shuffle and Vampire Weekend’s “Harmony Hall” came on. “…Now we find...
Jenny RunkelDec 8, 20192 minDo It Now. Paul McCartney is one of several people who just inspire the hell out of me. He is not only musically brilliant, but he's so freaking...
Jenny RunkelNov 20, 20192 minWriting Tip Wednesday: Own your story...all of itMore often than you might think, I work with students who feel ashamed of something on their transcript or school record. This may be a...
Jenny RunkelNov 17, 20194 minSocial Media is a Mean GirlYou either knew the mean girl in middle school or you were her. Unfortunate, but true. Everyone, even her closest friends found...
Jenny RunkelNov 13, 20192 min"So....What Should I Write About?"It’s the question I get from many of my high school students as they face the personal essay and the pressure that accompanies it. That...
Jenny RunkelNov 4, 20192 minWhat Google Maps and Your Essay Have in CommonGoogle Maps is a modern miracle in the palm of your hand. Except for when you’re walking in the heart of a city and you’re in a hurry....
Jenny RunkelAug 1, 20193 minRememborating and other made-up thingsSummer in Lafayette, La. 1978. I was 6 and 3/4 years old. My friends had Kiss lunch boxes and Grease records. I was allowed neither. In...