Laura Engelhardt's Blog, page 2

Is Gen Z's Utopia a Gen X Dystopia?

A three-hour graduation ceremony provides an upbeat backdrop for a lot of thinking. This May, I attended my first Gen Z graduation, and it got me thinking about some of the real differences in generational outlook. Someh...

Attack of the Trees

Spring has sprung with a gorgeous bloom. But if you suffer from seasonal allergies, now is the time to stay indoors. And I have the perfect answer for what to do instead of walking through swirls of pollen:

March of the Strong Women

A History of Women's History Month

Cruelty Warnings

Content warnings have become ubiquitous in all forms of entertainment. It started with movie ratings, then ���parental advisories��� on music. In the past few decades, warnings have started to appear in authors��� notes and in...

The Short Story Tradeoff

When I was embarking on my first home renovation project, I was told I needed to prioritize between time, cost, and quality. Apparently, I could have two out of the three, but not all three. So, either I could have the w...

ReWriting History

It's rare to find pure historical fiction nowadays. Often books set in the past are genre crossovers: historical mysteries, historical romances, and now, historical fantasies. While historical romances have been around f...

Using Curiosity to Kill Conflict

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the U.S. It marks the beginning of the winter holiday season. Maybe your social skills are rusty after a Covid-enforced break in get-togethers, or maybe you're ready to Get this Party Started....

The Day of the Dead

Two weeks ago, my ten-year-old told me she���d learned all about Dia de los Muertos in Spanish class and wanted to celebrate it. After her detailed explanation of what that entailed (including decorating, baking, and visit...

Trust But Verify

We���ve heard tell about digital crime being on the rise. Everyone from my local congressperson to network news and the AARP is sounding the alarm bell about various scams. But while such warnings raise our anxiety levels,...

Managing Your Time When Your Time Is Not Your Own

For a lot of people, retirement doesn���t mean the end of productive activity, but an end to being at someone else���s beck and call. It means finally having time for our own priorities ��� be they leisurely, artistic, or serv...