By U.S. State
By Country
Common Ground
by Brad Zwiers | Jan 27, 2015 | Michigan
We park up against the failing fence near the bathrooms. We get out of the car, feel our feet on ground, and keep talking. A lot has come before us here.
Slowly
by Griffin Jackson | Jan 26, 2015 | Placeless
No life is a cliché. Ever. Because you are you and no one else—and the fact that it’s a cliché to say it doesn’t make it a cliché to live it.
The Longest Distance
by Greg Kim | Jan 25, 2015 | Michigan, Sudan
When I wake up in the middle of the night, the first thing I do is check my legs. Often, during the night, I kick off my covers and wake up with my legs cold to the bone.
Use Your Words
by Lauren (Boersma) Harris | Jan 24, 2015 | Placeless
I over-share. I talk way too much about exes and bodily functions. I don’t want a world of “Laurens,” because no one would be able to finish their dinners.
Cruising
by Michael Kelly | Jan 23, 2015 | Placeless
Thankfully, over the past five years, my attitude towards my illness has changed from constant worrying and embarrassment to sarcastic apathy about its ridiculousness.
Epigraphs to Heaven
by Robert Zandstra | Jan 22, 2015 | Placeless
Our conceptions of heaven are the result of accumulated literature and its interpretations. But what if one had to choose a single literary epigraph for this Great Story?
Finding the Colors
by Andrew Orlebeke | Jan 21, 2015 | Placeless
Life no longer is about filing papers or planning for the future or buying groceries; it’s about going on quests and drinking with travelers in taverns and trading stories around a fire.
Come Over and Sit
by Gabe Gunnink | Jan 20, 2015 | Placeless
“Student death” is an e-mail subject line a teacher never wants to read. Yet, this past Friday morning I opened my internet browser to find these words neatly bolded atop my inbox.
Serenity Prayer for Days
by Mary Margaret Healy | Jan 19, 2015 | Placeless
What am I doing here, I ask myself in a moment of vulnerability. (I made a deal with myself months ago that I would stop asking that question.)
The Right Word
by Matt & Laura Hubers | Jan 18, 2015 | Placeless
She asked me on the first date. I wasn’t exactly smart enough to know it was a date. We had agreed to go swing dancing downtown with some of her friends.
Dear White People
by Geneva Langeland | Jan 17, 2015 | Placeless
Layers of irony form the crux of Dear White People’s satirical message: racism hounds us across generations, cultures, educational levels, socio-economic strata, and skin pigments.
Texting with David
by Andrew Knot | Jan 16, 2015 | Placeless
His mental mapping is different. This is why he can tell you that October 26, 1955 was a Wednesday but he can’t tell you the name of his math teacher.
Faith, Trust, Pixie Dust
by Cassie Westrate | Jan 15, 2015 | Placeless
Whenever I was out by the family pool alone, which was often when I grew into the double-digits, I would perch at the end of the diving board, take a deep breath, and step off.
Naked
by Will Montei | Jan 14, 2015 | Washington
At the end of the day I’m lying in bed feeling poor and stressed because I somehow wasted all day not feeling correctly. I was too sad, or too lonely, or too indifferent.
First in Friendship, Fourth in Obesity
by Catherine Kramer | Jan 13, 2015 | Placeless
For those of you who don’t know, Parks and Recreation is not just an office in your local city hall—it is also the best comedy currently on television.
The String of Time
by Abby Zwart | Jan 12, 2015 | Placeless
I wouldn’t say I liked fantasy as a child. What I liked were stories that started out in real life, then took a turn for the magical. I liked the prospect of our world with improvements.
If I Were a Mystic
by Elaine Schnabel | Jan 11, 2015 | Placeless
If I were a daughter of the 1200s like Mechtild of Madgeburg, I like to think that I, too, would have visions of and write poems about God.
You’re Okay
by Katie Van Zanen | Jan 10, 2015 | Egypt
No, unfortunately, adulthood doesn’t come with a standardized evaluation mechanism to tell you how you’re doing, but that’s not an excuse to do less.
V for Victory
by Bart Tocci | Jan 9, 2015 | England
I was in an honors history class during my junior year of high school. (Did he say…honors??? You bet I did, impressed reader, and I escaped with a C+.)
Rise of the Planet of the Podcast
by Paul Menn | Jan 8, 2015 | Placeless
I call 2014 the rise of podcasts because I believe this is the year that people finally understood what that word meant and took notice.
Learn To Be Light
by Caroline (Higgins) Nyczak | Jan 7, 2015 | New York
In a world where we are not free to create and relax at will, we must discipline ourselves so that these dangerous and noble things can be a part of our lives.
The Gays and the Jewish Media
by Josh deLacy | Jan 6, 2015 | Washington
“Homosexuals aren’t people. They’re just like bitches.” — #LightRailRapper
Melancholy Epiphany, Everyone!
by Alissa Anderson | Jan 5, 2015 | Placeless
I like Eliot’s Magi, poetic license and all. I like that the poem is haunted and melancholy. It’s been almost two weeks since Advent ended—away with the feasting and jollity, already.
The Kindness of Oatmeal
by Ben Rietema | Jan 4, 2015 | New Zealand
When I first bought rolled oats, I had them plain in hot water, but after cringing through the first several bites, I realized that eating plain oats is like eating your own depression.
Always the Men
by Sabrina Lee | Jan 3, 2015 | Placeless
Just when I’ve turned to head to the bar, one of the men grabs my arm and says, “Hey, you know who you look like? Like the girl from the Addams’ family!”
Rokovoko
by Jacob Schepers | Jan 2, 2015 | Placeless
The epigraph is probably the grandparent to the murky boundaries between the content and not-quite-content sandwiched by a book’s front and back covers.
Nineteenth-Century Recommendations
by Amy (Allen) Frieson | Jan 1, 2015 | Placeless
These commands from a nineteenth-century dissident are more intimidating and door-slamming than inspiring. How can we go confidently in a direction when we don’t know which direction to go?
Directionally Disabled
by Leah Sienkowski | Dec 31, 2014 | Placeless
I am astounded by those who can internalize the length of a road, noting landmarks and intersections. My roads are more like fishing lines; I don’t find out what’s at the end until I’ve reeled myself in.
A College Graduate Asks Us Five Simple Questions. The Answers Will Change Your Life Forever
by Justin Majetich | Dec 30, 2014 | Placeless
Said acquaintance makes a skittish joke. You choke up an overcompensating laugh and wince your eyes shut. When they re-open, the house is an inferno.
Look at the Poo Poo
by Bekah (Williamson) Medendorp | Dec 28, 2014 | Placeless
I asked my brother Sam, father of three, why kids hate going potty. His son Judah had, moments before, flat out denied need of the potty despite wobbling through the house with crossed legs.
