Category Archives: Guest writer

By Carol Blatter “Osteoarthritis happens when cartilage — the hard, slippery tissue that cushions the ends of bones at a joint — breaks down.” (Mayo Clinic). The cartilage in my right thumb joint broke down, so the pain from bone … Continue reading →

By Sandra Hurtes The essay below arose from a prompt in a class I took with “Narratively,” an online magazine on Substack. Here is a brief excerpt: “Today’s not-sad topic is: animals! For this generative day, I want you to … Continue reading →

By Marlene Samuels When my brother Jake and I were kids—twelve and eight, respectively—we lived in one of the poor immigrant sectors of Montreal. We’d been ice-skating at Beaver Lake at the top of Mount Royal when we found a … Continue reading →

By Faith Ellestad Let me explain.  In 1975, we bought a house.  It wasn’t a goal, but rather a necessity as our current landlord suddenly decided to sell the house we were renting.  Having promised he would give us plenty … Continue reading →

By Valerie Gibbons The nursing assistant stopped first at my room on her morning rounds. The RN told her my call light had been on the longest. I was in a rehab facility to learn to walk again. Lying beneath … Continue reading →

By Mona Jean Harley Overhearing the word “airplane” several times in the crowd clued me in to the reason why the conference participants were not moving into the arena to listen to the morning keynote address. The speaker’s plane had … Continue reading →

By Renee Lajcak Renee writes both for the page and for performance, adjusting her style for each. “For spoken word, I use shorter sentences, more repetition. On the page, you can be more abstract. For listeners, I keep it visual, … Continue reading →

Loriann Knapton Returning home from an afternoon excursion, I opened the back entryway of my house and was immediately transported back to my10-year-old self. There, in the breezeway blocking my entry, in all of its splendor, sat my rocking chair. … Continue reading →

By Janet Manders Yesterday was one of those sub-zero, bone-chilling winter days in Wisconsin. I had no desire to bundle up and leave the warmth of my house, so I poured a second cup of coffee into my favorite Christmas … Continue reading →

By Faith Ellestad  I am standing at my dresser with six socks in my hand, trying to decide which degrees of blackness make up the best pair. On closer inspection, I decide one is probably navy blue, and stuff it … Continue reading →