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Faculty Meeting at the Millhouse Posts

Book Club Questions for Faculty Meeting at the Millhouse

Published by Carla on October 10, 2026

printable copy here

  • What was your favorite scene or a part that stayed with you? 
  • Was there an episode that seemed unrealistic to you? What made it unrealistic?
  • In what ways do you think the Millhouse “faculty meetings” are different from the faculty meetings held in schools?
  • Did anything in the stories surprise you?
  • Which dynamic between two characters did you find the most compelling or realistic?
  • Did the stories offer any insights into experiences that are different from your own? If so, what did you learn?
  • In what ways is this book similar to/different from TV shows or movies set in schools like Abbott Elementary or The Perks of Being a Wallflower?
  • Which character would you like to have dinner with and why?
  • Which story was your favorite and why?
  • How does Margaret see herself? How do others see her?
  • Would you want to have Margaret or any of the other characters as your teacher? Why/why not?
  • If this were a movie, who would you cast as each character?
  • What part felt most/least realistic to you?
  • How might the stories have been different if they’d been told by Mr. Seymour, the principal? By Andrea, the office secretary? By a student?
  • To what extent do these stories remind you of your own high school years?

Oct. 10 Book Signing at Brian’s

Published by Carla on October 9, 2026

Brian’s Bistro is the hometown coffee shop we read about. They know your name, they know your coffee, they keep your cup full.

My first Open Mic Night was at Brian’s, and I told a story based on something I was assured had really happened years ago at my school. I was skeptical about its authenticity, but, as is often the case with legends, it made a good story.

That was the start of Faculty Meeting at the Millhouse – right there in Brian’s Bistro. And tomorrow morning, 10-12, I’ll be there to read a little, to talk about the book, and to sign copies.

I hope to see you there!

Cupcakes

Published by Carla on August 14, 2026

Unrelenting rain brought catastrophic flooding, and my Midwestern town began recovery efforts the traditional way: people brought donations. By the time I arrived with bleach and mops, contributions had been arriving all day, and volunteers scrambled to keep them organized. I looked around, impressed that this town, considered a low-income area, could be so generous so quickly. Diapers stacked on this table, snacks piled over there, paper products to the front, pet food to the back.

The silicon cupcake pan, sitting by itself, caught my eye. For families that just lost everything, it seemed a low-priority item. “Someone wanted to clean out their kitchen cupboards,” I smirked, and moved on.

It wasn’t until later that I considered another possibility. “Maybe someone wanted to say that the day will come when you will need this. You will bake in your own kitchen again. You will celebrate birthdays, donate to bake sales, and take cupcakes to the church pitch-in. You will build a new normal. Hold on.”

Emily Dickinson called hope “the thing with feathers/that perches in the soul.” I wonder what she’d write about “the thing with wells/that rests beside the wall.” Maybe it would continue the same way: “And sings the tune without the words – / And never stops – at all -“

#ConnersvilleStrong