reader-essay
By Karen Hill Anton “Karen! Hey! How’re you doing?” “Fine, fine. And you? It’s been a long time.” “You’re telling me. It’s been about fifteen years. But I’ve heard all about you.” “Oh, really — what’ve you heard?” “That you married a millionaire, have seven children, and live in China.” “!!??!!”
reader-essay
By Andrew Kolczynski I’m standing there with a mic threaded up the back of my shirt and two cameras pointed at me while I can’t get through the outro of a fashion documentary we’re shooting. Tears keep welling up my eyes for a few reasons — one being that once I get it right, the whole shoot is
reader-essay
By Chelsea Butters Wooding For the first 24 years of my life, I wanted what I thought was the “American Dream” — a spouse, 2.5 kids, and a home with a white picket fence. At 24 years old, a six-year relationship I was in ended, and I started asking myself why I wanted those things. Upon more
reader-essay
By Stephen Cohen This essay has been edited from Stephen’s LinkedIn post. Younger folks call me “pops” when they see me in road races, in the weight room, or on a basketball court — and “sir” everywhere else. I appreciate getting noticed and not being invisible. I left 65 behind me over thirteen
reader-essay
By Emma Zaballos It can be hard to remember that not everything that happened to me as a child is normal or typical. For me, spinal fusion surgery was such a major part of my teenage years that I assume that everyone went through something like it — a huge medical event that fundamentally changed
reader-essay
By Alden Blodget This piece was originally published in Intrepid Ed News and has been slightly adapted from its original. “I’m walking. I’m walking right out of the door. I won’t ever be back.” The gray-haired teacher who was filmed during her meltdown in her classroom shouting those words to her
reader-essay
By Jon Kass “Fear is the mind-killer.” This portentous quote from Dune popped into my head as I scolded myself for again falling victim to the anxieties of my relatives. My newly pregnant wife, with a newly broken foot, was treating herself to a well deserved weekend with friends a few states away.
reader-essay
By Doug Stallard I have canoed and camped along the upper Guadalupe River in Texas, albeit not in several years nor ever in the rain. It is a beautiful area and the water is refreshing, particularly in the summer. The river is lined with many trees, which spread along the river valley. Their
reader-essay
By Amy Liu Longacre Have you ever forgotten something that was really not forgotten? Something that lingers in your heart, and although it is not a verbalized, conscious part of your everyday life — is still a part of you and you know deep inside? With the many moral and ethical decisions we must
reader-essay
By Cameron Stout What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor [and] more unashamed conversation. — Glenn Close Alcoholism, anxiety, and major depression choke my family tree like a dark, twisting vine. My father, a celebrated English professor at UC Berkeley, fought alcohol and depression
reader-essay
By Aldo Gonzalez Transcribed and edited by Aly Gonzalez Recently, my mom reminded me that I spent a whole year living in Mexico in my youth. As a son of Mexican immigrants, born and raised in Wisconsin, that seemed pretty cool to me. I grew up speaking Spanish and valuing Mexican culture, and we've
reader-essay
By Stout Cortez Disclaimer: This essay contains Wes Anderson spoilers, I guess, and math references, which maybe is triggering (pun intended). It is not intended for audiences who do not appreciate Bruce Springsteen. I’ve been young my entire life. The most pointless sentence you’ve ever read,