Musings of a Storyteller

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Making Room in My Triangle
Working in the kitchen with others is like a dance. For years, my husband and I were out of step—more mosh pit than ballet. Then we went to Sicily.
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Diane Burley
4
Escaping the Tyranny of Holiday Shoulds
If you're like me, and can't help overthinking everything, then you have an endless list of 'shoulds' weighing on you. The holidays pile on more. Is…
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Diane Burley
6
Grief and Rage: The Burdens of a Storyteller
The relentless ability to feel is both a curse and a gift for storytellers. Lately, I'm wondering if I can continue to be a lightning rod for emotions…
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Diane Burley
4
Two Old Men: The Unlikely Bond of Jack and Frank
They had little in common save for shared family, Sundays, stories half-remembered—and full heads of hair!
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Diane Burley
3

October 2024

Legacy of New York's North Country
There's a region in way upstate New York, where brutal winters eventually give way to the sweetness of spring. These dramatic seasonal changes shape…
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Diane Burley
3
Sicilian Caper
Forty years ago, I traveled to Sicily to trace my ancestors' heritage. This time when I went, I uncovered how it shaped who I’ve become.
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Diane Burley
2
The Human Cost of Tariffs: Lessons From Labor in the Gilded Age
Tariffs are a tool to protect domestic industries - ostensibly to benefit American workers. History shows us though, that when wrongfully enacted…
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Diane Burley
4

September 2024

Why Workplace Goodbyes Hurt So Much
We invest so much of ourselves in developing strong - almost familial - relationships at work. When those ties are severed, the grief can be real.
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Diane Burley
4
The Agony of Small Talk: Fear of Jumping In
I am horrible at small talk, it's anxiety producing, and I am not always sure how to partake. But isolation is not the answer. Here's how I am learning…
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Diane Burley
1
Strolling Through History With Aunt Molly
As I research ancestral relative Leonora Kearney Barry, conversations with my 102-year old aunt help my notes come alive, and remind me that all of us…
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Diane Burley
2
Malaprose-isms
We are awash in a sea of 'sane-washing, coherence bias, and misogynoir,' a fog of news that shapes public perception - sometimes in dangerous ways.
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Diane Burley
2
My Emotional and Familial Connection to Labor Day
Through my great, great grandmother's cousin, I have a renewed understanding of where we have come as a society when it comes to honoring workers on…
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Diane Burley
3
© 2024 Diane Burley
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