joanne tombrakos

I wrote a book. Now I have to sell it.

I wrote a book. There. I said it. I wrote a book. Even now that it’s published and out in the world it still feels surreal. It’s not the first time I wrote a book, so perhaps digesting my accomplishment should be easier but that is … [Read more]

And so it begins…my first Substack

I have a habit. I am not sure exactly when I started it but if I had to guess it was sometime after I started teaching. When I am done explaining something, I will finish my statement with this question. Does this make sense? It doesn’t just … [Read more]

Advice On What To Do If (Or When) You Get Fired From Someone Who’s Been There

Laid off. Downsized out of your job. Fired. Call it what you like, it’s all the same thing. One day you have a job and a paycheck to go with it and the next day the alarm goes off at 6 AM and you have nowhere to go. I’ve been there. More than … [Read more]

Dear Twitter, Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

It seems like just yesterday we first met, but it wasn’t. It was April 16, 2009 at 7:43PM to be exact. My first tweet was the next day. That was almost three years after you launched but that was when Twitter was really catching on. Maybe … [Read more]

A Death Reminded Me Of What Is Lost When We WFH

I lost a friend last week. It should not have come as a surprise. Just over a year ago, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Still, when I got the news I sat clouded in shock and disbelief, the kind that happens when you learn of someone’s … [Read more]

The Subway May Not Be Safe – But Where Is Safe Anymore?

I ride the subway. I’ve been riding it since I was a kid growing up in the sixties. Even then, when my memories lead me to believe the world was a safer place to live, I was taught to be on high alert. My mother showed me the proper way to hold my … [Read more]