by Marlena Fiol | Sep 15, 2019
At the MCC library in Akron, PA This week I met my parents — for the third time. Like most of you, I met them for the first time as a child, and then as we grew older together. I came to know them for the second time…
by Marlena Fiol | Sep 8, 2019
My brand new publisher! This week I received a signed contract for my memoir Love is Complicated: A Memoir of Healing from Mango Publishing, the fastest growing independent publisher in the United States. It’s taken years of hard work to get here, so I’m bubbling over…
by Marlena Fiol | Sep 2, 2019
I’m staring at the photo: Four women, all of us in my kitchen preparing extraordinary delicacies. It was going to be a great meal. We had taken a cooking class together the prior week, walked away with great recipes, and couldn’t wait to…
by Marlena Fiol | Aug 19, 2019
How often have I heard, “My grandmother was my hero. The impact that she had on my life will stay with me forever.” And when I Google “grandparent influence on grandchildren,” I am shocked by the huge number of adults claiming that their grandparents deeply influenced their beliefs and values….
by Marlena Fiol | Aug 4, 2019
I have my old stories. You have yours. We all have them. It’s how we learned to make sense of the world around us, and sometimes still do. These old stories about what’s happened to me in the past often continue to rule how…
by Marlena Fiol | Jul 29, 2019
In a healthy relationship, your partner is that special someone who meshes with you so well that you coexist in perfect harmony. You never have any disagreements, right? Wrong. Research actually suggests that the process of conflict and arguing can be beneficial to the…