By U.S. State
By Country
I Took a Cedar-Strip Canoe Down the Most Dangerous River in Michigan
by Nick Meekhof | Jul 26, 2017 | Michigan
The Pine required constant vigilance and dexterity; every second taken to observe bald eagles or apply sunscreen came with a price: frantic paddling and overcorrection.
There Are Still Secrets
by Jack VA | Jul 25, 2017 | Romania
His dangerous trip had unearthed something remarkable: a fully functioning ecosystem that had survived without sunlight and with barely any oxygen for millennia.
The Month of No Lying
by Lauren (Boersma) Harris | Jul 24, 2017 | Placeless
My encounter with “The Whole Truth” Diet taught me a lot more about my habits and relationship with reality.
The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing
by Julia LaPlaca | Jul 23, 2017 | Grand Rapids
It was glorious. We started slow, but accelerated into more and more swings and twirls. The best dances are the ones with strange guys who happened to be very good dancers.
The Kava Diary
by Matt Medendorp | Jul 22, 2017 | Texas
“Oh,” she adds, almost as an afterthought, “Your mouth will start to tingle and go numb after a few sips. Don’t panic, that’s just a harmless side effect.”
With Spies Like This, Who Needs Russia?
by Andrew Orlebeke | Jul 21, 2017 | Washington
LOCATION: Seattle, WA
TIME ELAPSED: 4:27
OBJECTIVE: Gather information, determine daily movements of subject
I’ll Make a Man Out of Me
by Gabe Gunnink | Jul 20, 2017 | Grand Rapids, Michigan
This week, I decided to spend a day allowing society (a.k.a. the internet) to tell me exactly how I should be a man. For one day I would dress, drink, and spend my time how the cyber arbiters of masculinity determined.
An Almost-Century in the Making
by Mary Margaret Healy | Jul 19, 2017 | Placeless
Born in April of 1925, my dad turned ninety-two years old this year. My dad lived through The Great Depression and World War II.
Wiggles and Jiggles
by Ben DeVries | Jul 18, 2017 | Placeless
The cheese cube relish, while very much not my thing, had a sort of melt-away pickle flavor that was not wholly unpleasant.
Waste Not
by Geneva Langeland | Jul 17, 2017 | Ann Arbor
Some ground rules: I’ve committed to collecting every piece of trashable, recyclable, or compostable waste I generate for a full week.
Wearing Sweatpants to a German Supermarket
by Andrew Knot | Jul 16, 2017 | Germany
In the US, wearing sweatpants to the grocery store is an act of conformity. In Germany as in many other countries on the continent, it’s an act of rebellion.
I Found Michigan’s Abandoned Dinosaur Park
by Cassie Westrate | Jul 15, 2017 | Michigan
I come to a dead end and turn around in defeat. I have officially walked every visible path I can find in this park, and the T. rex is nowhere to be found. I begin walking back.
Stacks on Stacks
by Catherine Kramer | Jul 13, 2017 | New York
According to Google, there are twelve independent bookstores in upper Manhattan, the section of the city I call home.
Abby and Ina
by Abby Zwart | Jul 12, 2017 | Placeless
As I start reading and cooking, I realize that I have no idea what “barefoot contessa” means.
How to Hot Yoga
by Elaine Schnabel | Jul 11, 2017 | Indiana
Lucky for me, The Hot Room was offering a free event at a local park last week.
I Bought a Wetsuit and It Was a Full Body Experience
by Katie Van Zanen | Jul 10, 2017 | Oregon
I am not sure how to accurately convey the unpleasantness of this experience. There was no part of my body that went gentle into that good night.
Breaking up with Blue Apron
by Bart Tocci | Jul 9, 2017 | Placeless
It started like any romance—I gave her a coupon for thirty percent off, then my credit card number and address, known allergies, social security number, and blood type.
Fad Diets, Pseudoscience, and Snakeoil
by Paul Menn | Jul 8, 2017 | Placeless
Faced with the incontrovertible decay of my body, I did what any aging millennial does—turn to the pseudoscience of the age and go on a cleanse.
Leave Your Comfort Zone: Equinox Edition
by Caroline (Higgins) Nyczak | Jul 7, 2017 | New York
After I signed a waiver that confirmed I wouldn’t sue Equinox if I died on the treadmill or passed out because I saw Blake Lively, we entered the immaculate studio.
You’re More Loving Than You Think You Are
by Josh deLacy | Jul 6, 2017 | Washington
Will cried when the sentences turned to me. “I’m just going to say one thing,” he said, and he had to stop for a while. “Because you’ll know what I mean by it,” and he had to stop again.
Failing to Write
by Alissa Anderson | Jul 5, 2017 | Placeless
The bottom line, though, is that I failed at this assignment.
What Eating the Same Meals for Ten Months Will Do to You
by Ben Rietema | Jul 4, 2017 | New Zealand
To get something straight, eating the same thing is boring as all hell. I gained a measure of satisfaction from it, of course, or else I wouldn’t have done it.
The Search for Grandma
by Meg Schmidt | Jul 3, 2017 | Placeless
A few weeks ago, Grandma fell in her bedroom. She pulled a bookcase down on top of her, breaking several ribs and pushing her further down “the road” than she had been before.
Come, Jet Lag; Come, Haggis
by Jacob Schepers | Jul 2, 2017 | Scotland
My first meal off the plane, jet-lagged as I was, consisted of No. 1 Grange Road’s “Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties Tower.”
A Day on the Bus in Tegucigalpa
by Katerina Parsons | Jul 1, 2017 | Honduras
I set a few rules—my “day” on the bus would last eight hours, but would include walking to, from, and between buses.
Postscript
by Caitlin Gent | Jun 30, 2017 | Chicago, Oregon
Dear M,
I hope you are enjoying life in Oregon. I am trying very hard not to miss you. Sometimes, it works.
Pentecostal Weather
by Carolyn Muyskens | Jun 29, 2017 | Illinois
Throughout the service, the wind seemed to heighten our attention rather than scatter it; there could be no looking away from God that day.
Living Like Scorpion (Killers)
by Bekah (Williamson) Medendorp | Jun 28, 2017 | Placeless
I have been thinking about scorpions because I live in the desert, where dwell these hard-cased creatures from hell.
Mask Off
by Brad Zwiers | Jun 27, 2017 | Placeless
In an era of self-exploration, it becomes extremely difficult to identify who or what my self is, since it takes on so many shapes depending on who I’m with or where we are or both.
You Can’t Destroy Me: A Comprehensive Memoir of the Legacy of Dort Thomas Teddy
by Nick Meekhof | Jun 26, 2017 | Michigan
After one too many flings into the pond, rainy nights left outside, and one malicious dirt-biking incident involving my older cousin Adam, Dort looked like your typical horror movie puppet.
