Do You Want Hear A Story?

I believe sharing personal stories is a healthy way to emote, connect, and create change – one small shift at a time.

Think of it as a cleanse without the weird smoothies.

Janglery houses my published freelance work and personal essays – a curated collection for readers, writers, and editors alike.

If something resonates, share it. You might even be inspired to submit a guest post.

If you’re an editor or publisher interested in available content, I’d love to connect.

Almost any given situation, when given a closer look, can gift us with some of our deepest “aha” moments.

Through a compassionate and humorous lens, I write stories to pique curiosity, emotion, and explore alternate viewpoints. You don’t have to agree with me, but you might just relate.

To all the emails I’ll never read

It’s not you. It’s my attention span. Attention has become the most valuable currency in modern life, and judging by …

January 1, 2026

Have an adequate day. I mean it.

Have you ever wished someone an “adequate day”? Probably not. It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. But the more …

June 26, 2025

Seeking gratitude is stressing me out

Thanks to the "We Are Brave Together" organization for publishing my guest blog! This is for those seeking gratitude and …

June 19, 2025

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Technology – especially AI – is reshaping storytelling, authorship, and what it even means to be a writer.

As a freelance writer, advocate, and content marketing strategist, my job is to stay on top of those changes – and my goal is to remain effective within them.

For years, I kept storytelling, advocacy, and marketing in separate lanes. Turns out, they’ve been driving the same car all along and those skills are critical in each endeavor.

Through Wordswerk, I help clients achieve their goals with authentic content that grows their businesses – the kind rooted in discovery, lived experience, and real conversations.

Janglery is different. It’s personal.

Now it’s my byline.
My experiments.
My essays.
My journalistic and creative work in progress.

It represents the joy I’ve always found in writing – and the slightly nauseating vulnerability of putting my own experiences out there. Helping others tell their stories comes naturally. Sharing mine? That’s a whole other thing. Yet the pull remains.

Maybe that’s what happens when you don’t journal.

Everything I do circles back to the same belief: words matter. Voices matter. Stories are meant to be told. Now more than ever!

If something resonates, share it. If you’re entertained, stick around.

I’m glad you’re here.

* At My Patient Voice I work with patients to help reduce their medical debt. I also serve as a parent advocate, supporting families with special needs as they navigate public school and state systems.

What does Janglery mean – and why all the gargoyles?

You could probably benefit from an introduction.

Janglery is a word that has ceased to exist due to lack of use – which is too bad because it’s a great word. A bit off the beaten path with a sense of reckless abandon, yet it still embodies the sense of bonding with others.

It’s an English word contained in a list of about two thousand others whose first use was found in existing manuscripts is credited to Chaucer. This does not necessarily mean that he was the person to introduce these words into English, but that the earliest extant uses of these words are found in his manuscripts. You heard me right. Chaucer.

In case you missed it on my home page, get a kick out of the definition as well as the spelling from years long gone by:

Janglery: Noun ~ gossip; idle talk; chatter.

“See there be no entrance into princes ‘courts, either of drunkennefs, ill-fpeaking, babling indifcreetly, flattery, janglery, buffoonery, and fuch other vices, which foil and fhame the reputation of men.”

Janglery…or speaking one’s mind, even if after having too many glasses of spirit, is described as a vice. I think it’s cathartic. Also, those old kings and princes didn’t want the populace to talk too much after their day’s work…in case they came up with ideas about changing the status quo. Mostly, these people were just blowing off steam and having a good time. We can have some deep thoughts here, but let’s also try to have a good time! That, my friends, is something we can all use.

What’s up with the gargoyle?

It’s possible he may be a griffin, due to the wings. But no matter. They often are melded together, and share quite a few definitions.

Gargoyles are like snowflakes. You’ll never find two exactly alike. I love the symbolism associated with this stone creature. Some legends say they come to life to ward off evil spirits, and that they can communicate with others when the wind or rain passes through their mouths. They have a purifying role, even “digesting” unclean water as they serve as downspouts.

A gargoyle typically symbolizes guardianship or security on the property it is found on. When you invite gargoyles into your home you are incorporating a sense of mythical protection. I like that imagery. So, I am mounting this little guy to my virtual wall to welcome his protection for a safe space where original ideas can be expressed. I think it fits into the “Janglery” vernacular of camaraderie. I’m sure there were those engaging in Janglery in the vicinity of gargoyles in 12th-century France.

Let’s engage in some Janglery, shall we?