By U.S. State
By Country
What Happens When You Leave?
by Katie Van Zanen | Jun 10, 2016 | Egypt
Strangers think it’s “cool” that I lived there, which, whatever it means, isn’t true. It was something else entirely.
Cannibal of GR
by Bart Tocci | Jun 9, 2016 | Grand Rapids, Massachusetts
The story goes, that a girl was traveling abroad… either that or she was in Grand Rapids… or Boston or Austin or Mauston. Which is in Wisconsin… anyways, minor details…
Acts of Faith, Acts of Choice
by Paul Menn | Jun 8, 2016 | Placeless
Captain America: The Winter Soldier actually raises two themes that the viewer can wrestle with and reflect on: Faith and Choice.
Age of Innocence
by Caroline (Higgins) Nyczak | Jun 7, 2016 | Placeless
I reveled in my first watch of The OC because I wasn’t allowed to watch it in middle and high school. Shows about teenagers having sex were strictly off-limits. (However, watching Jack Bauer torture terrorists was totally fine.)
As a Mother
by Josh deLacy | Jun 6, 2016 | Placeless
You know that saying, “Mother knows best”? It’s a saying for a frickin’ reason. We’re the backbone of every decent household in America.
I Watched Christian Mingle The Movie So You Don’t Have To
by Alissa Anderson | Jun 5, 2016 | Placeless
I think Jesus would watch Christian Mingle The Movie with me, and would snort and groan and make snarky commentary in all the right places.
What The Hell Did I Just Watch?
by Ben Rietema | Jun 4, 2016 | Placeless
The list of far-fetched hobby-type things goes on—latte art, throwing things in a blender and showing the footage on YouTube (Will It Blend?), keeping moldy water in your garage and selling it to other people (home brewing)…
Recipe for Disappointment
by Sabrina Lee | Jun 3, 2016 | Placeless
The pleasure of these videos comes from the small frame. Everything is contained, orderly, and clean. All of the mixing bowls—so many!—are matching. All of the ingredients and utensils are always there—without price tags.
Ocean Breathes Salty
by Jacob Schepers | Jun 2, 2016 | Michigan
So on back. Back to the music video. Back to the lyrics that make the video all worthwhile. It’s not that I’m expecting everyone to get this.
Telling Other People’s Stories
by Katerina Parsons | Jun 1, 2016 | Honduras
This was my mistake. I tried to tell a story without knowing the lives behind it, without caring. I did not publish that story, however remarkable I still find it. It was not mine to share.
Left Behind in Grand Rapids
by Alden Hartopo | May 30, 2016 | Grand Rapids, Michigan
I forgot that figuring out life does not always mean getting a job or going to grad school.
Enable Discovery to Meet New People
by Paula Manni | May 29, 2016 | Placeless
There comes a point in Tinder messaging where you’ve proven yourselves worthy of exchanging actual text messages.
An Etymological Update
by Bekah (Williamson) Medendorp | May 28, 2016 | Placeless
I hope you find these entry updates linguistically accurate and culturally abhorrent.
How to Road Trip to Florida, With Detours, Part 2
by Brad Zwiers | May 27, 2016 | Florida
So often we tell ourselves to live in the moment, or seize the day, or be present, or rest in the now. But what does that all mean?
The Philosophy of ‘Oh Well’
by Nick Meekhof | May 26, 2016 | Placeless
I attribute my low maintenance, self-motivation, amiable attitude, and ability to work eighty-hour workweeks to my philosophy of not minding anything.
Dear Lauren, Love Lauren
by Lauren (Boersma) Harris | May 24, 2016 | Michigan
The following is a completely fictional recorded conversation between my past and present selves. It is transcribed as it was spoken and it is also not real. 18-year-old Lauren: Dear 25-year-old Lauren, I hope you’re no longer miserable. Please tell me that...
Dreaming Again
by Michael Kelly | May 23, 2016 | Massachusetts
I feel sort of like Cinderella using every available moment to frantically clean up my life so that I might finally get what I want, except I have no animals, no magic, and no shoes made of glass (thank god).
Writing Space
by Matt Medendorp | May 22, 2016 | Hungary
Perhaps the trick isn’t finding the perfect place, the perfect pen, the perfect aesthetic, the correct combination of elbow patches, pipe smoke, and whiskey. Perhaps the trick is simply to not have a trick.
A Grandmotherly Half-Truth
by Gabe Gunnink | May 20, 2016 | Placeless
It frustrates me to hear people complain that they feel like they’re choosing between two evils or that they’ll just stay home on Election Day or that they’ll pack up and move to Canada if things don’t go their way.
Making a Bridesmaid Dress: A Tragic Romance in Three Parts
by Mary Margaret Healy | May 19, 2016 | Placeless
ENTER: EVERYTHING THAT IS WRONG WITH THE WORLD AND ME. Some might call the cut and color of her clothes bold and loud, while others might use the word “garish.”
The Big Clean
by Ben DeVries | May 18, 2016 | Placeless
I drag around furniture, scramble on top of kitchen counters. I dust, I sweep, I wipe. I also bleach and mop, neaten, vacuum, air, fluff, and polish.
Tiny White Moments
by Geneva Langeland | May 17, 2016 | Ann Arbor, Michigan
Reaching through the grated door, I run a fingertip along the tiny white foreleg of a tiny white lamb curled on the straw inside. He slid into the world less than a week ago beside his glossy black sister.
E-mails from David in the Week before Pentecost
by Andrew Knot | May 16, 2016 | Germany
I could almost hear his eyes glazing over. The remove in his voice suggested that the ocean between us was a puddle compared to the expanse between our brains.
How to Swing Like a Child as an Adult
by Cassie Westrate | May 15, 2016 | Placeless
Let the sky be wide open and full of good possibilities. Wonder why the sky is blue. Wonder how the earth suspends in space. Wonder how you came to live under this beautiful blue sky in this small corner of the universe.
The Hermione to My Ron
by Will Montei | May 14, 2016 | Placeless
I don’t like planning anything. Plans may have good intentions, but they always end up a little too strict. Like Professor McGonagall.
Working Up the Courage to Make a Phone Call
by Catherine Kramer | May 13, 2016 | Placeless
You wanted to see if you could get an appointment soon?! Like, within the year of our Lord 2016?! Don’t you know how busy we are?
Double Dutch
by Abby Zwart | May 12, 2016 | Holland
The dancers separate into groups of eight and begin the dance. There’s nothing quite like the sound of hundreds of wooden shoes clomping along the asphalt in rhythm. Or the semblance of rhythm.
I Quit
by Elaine Schnabel | May 11, 2016 | Placeless
This was a tantrum that got out of hand, causing me to forget that my desires are not the most important thing in the world.
Like Riding A Bike
by Katie Van Zanen | May 10, 2016 | Minnesota
I could feel the wind teasing my pigtails. I was positively gliding. Then I glanced backward, realized my dad was no longer behind me, and promptly fell off the bike.
Delayed
by Bart Tocci | May 9, 2016 | Massachusetts, New Jersey, Texas
Terminal A is actually still a part of the old Soviet Union, and has been under construction since before planes were a thing. Want food? One option: The Earl of Sandwich.
