Posted on by Lisa Bernard

Marking International Widows Day with Recalibration Cues from Diane DiResta – Speaking Coach to Women in Transition Worldwide – While She Directs the Impromptu of Her Own Grief

As Tanzanian widows sought rights to their late husbands' property, Diane DiResta flew to Africa to provide public speaking training. Not a one-off for this New Yorker, who takes agency over life's passages. Now, since the loss of her own husband, Diane models the nourishing synergy of giving and receiving support - all the more resonant as we approach the 25th anniversary of the United Nation's establishment of International Widows Day on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.

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Come Meet Andrea – if You Haven’t Already – in Celebration of the Award(s) This Work of Fiction Won!

Andrea's Coda won First Place for Flash Fiction in the 2026 Connecticut Press Club's Communications Contest and was advanced to the National Federation of Press Women's Competition. I have been notified that one or more of my scribbles has earned national recognition (perhaps this one?) and I will be at the NFPW Awards Ceremony in Maryland in September, proud to represent the nutmeg state! Theme of the 2026 NFPW Communications Conference? INK, INFLUENCE, INNOVATION/COMMUNICATING AT 250. This is a dream of a way for an American scribe like me to mark our nation's milestone birthday!

Posted on by Lisa Bernard

Do I Miss My Horse and Riding Life? I Sure Do. But an Occasional Trail Tide and Blessed Memories Must Sustain Me Now.

Lunching with precious friends, they were curious if I missed my riding life. Of course, I do. So much, it hurts sometimes, especially in Spring. But no, I am no longer up for the physical rigors of ownership, nor the other attendant responsibilities to care properly for an aging animal. I am ever grateful for the adventure of a lifetime with Dolce, and I am at peace to be free of the worries.

Posted on by Lisa Bernard

Subscribers & Followers: Shall We Start a New Chapter Together?

Funny to write a private note on a personal blog, but this single post will not go beyond you, my engaged readers of many years. Why? It's a personal thank you note and a special invitation. Thank you for reading me through what I truly believed was retirement - but turned out to be a mere transition. You and that cozy cottage in the quiet of the Connecticut woods catalyzed my move from a career in the spoken word to the wonderful life of a published scribe. Over time, when and how other women recalibrate and start over has become my sweet spot of subject matter and now, I have started on a new platform devoted to women's voices on this theme. Join me?

Posted on by Lisa Bernard

MOTHERLAND is the Lens that Corrects Myopic Views of the Modern Russian Experience and Offers Insights to Women Worldwide

This gaze at the Russian female experience is a literary nesting doll. Bold covers swaddle this meticulously researched, analyzed and synthesized historical survey, a jaw-dropping family memoir and a cache of incisive and emotive personal essays. Overdue in retrospect, but worth the wait, for Julia Ioffe brings the expertise on the country of her birth, journalistic prowess and worldly feminist passion that makes this a tour de force. Footnotes on females come forward and this unpacks Russian history in a way that isn't simply a flirtation with herstory. It's the visceral story; the DNA of the nation Winston Churchill described as "a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." MOTHERLAND is compelling and provocative. With its novel-like prose and stand-alone chapters, you won't be able to read just one. It's packed with eye-opening material for feminists, Russia wonks, history buffs and bookworms alike.

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Nesting, Nesting … 1, 2, 3. A Grandmother, I – Soon Enough – Shall Be …

It was that purple sweet potato that got me going. Before I knew it, I grabbed a knife and tomato and was chopping for red. Cheddar brought orange to the party. Yellow are my yolks. Easy does the green when you're an avocado. Blueberries? Oh, stories of black bears I can tell you, little grand one. Let's just sprinkle them here, for now, seeing how nicely indigo and violet play and share the plate together. Breakfast with ROY. G. BIV. Delicious and nutritious! Smells good in here! Appetizing, this Roy fella is. Had I known, I would have worn lipstick.

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Oh, What People Shovel

Quietly. Prophylactically. They stayed late ahead of the storm to prepare us - their residents, clients, customers. One of my property managers made sure my central lighting fixture was replaced ahead of the wall of steely-grey days on the way. No complaints. Then they dug out of their doorways and deiced their igloo-like cars to get to work, back to us. No procrastination. People who care about people, so they shovel horse poop and snow, not bull crap and excuses. Winter Storm Fern was not without pockets of warmth. Nor is it really over. May you weather its side effects with people who get their shoveling done.

Posted on by Lisa Bernard · 2 Comments

Deep Pockets Don’t Solve Every Problem After Age 65

Staying active while aging requires specific gear, specs first among the items I tote around wherever I go. Sunglasses. Readers. Computer glasses. Specs for driving. Backup pairs for all four types. Still, I was misplacing them from time to time. And so came the plan, a reluctant reach into my deep pockets: Ready-to-wear for my eyewear everywhere. Keeping my eyeglasses on my person, at my fingertips, at all times. Can you relate? I'm happy to share my notes - and discoveries richer than any deep pockets can provide.

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Spirits in the Stacks – A Nonfiction Tale of Two Adored Apparitions at Home at Torrington Library

I'm not one to blog outside my lane, but this untold story was irresistible for its library lore, nonfiction version of Gabi Coatsworth's conjured characters and its proximity to my writing on loss and grief. Pardon the pun, but I also felt my late grandmother's presence. She's the one who taught me, "Never fear the dead; it's the living who get you every time." I winked at my grandmother's portrait and emailed Elaine requesting an interview, a visit to the floor in question and any media that evidenced the pair of ghosts in residence. She sent more than photos.

Posted on by Lisa Bernard

Positive Travels in Negative Time

Contemporary society insists we time travel to consider its questions. When will the book be published? Is this your forever home? Will the baby attend full or half-day kindergarten? I kid you not. Sometimes, I feel my life is being binged like a Netflix series. But real life doesn't move at warp speed. Such queries are quantum leap experiments, facilitated by our devices -- the opportunity cost of which is in-the-moment delight, gratitude and the chance to do the work that provides real answers and genuine progress. That is, unless we dive into negative time, as I did. Twice, to positive results.