Category Archives: Guest writer

By Paul Ketterer Part 1 in a 2-part essay Fifty years ago, I graduated from Madison Central High School. All that is left of the building is the arch formerly over the front door of the building, facing the 200 … Continue reading →

By Doug Elwell I’ve never been old before so I guess thinking often of endings is a sort of beginning. As I near the end of things, I’m beginning to look back to beginning things. Panda sits on his shelf—the one … Continue reading →

By Dhyan Atkinson The most beautiful Christmas tree I ever saw was crafted by the gay guys downstairs when I was living in San Francisco. One of them was an airline steward who flew regularly to Hong Kong. One year … Continue reading →

By Jules Sanderson This is a reflective piece, looking back at my time as a student, sharing a house with one of my best friends. We are best friends, bonded together in that intense, competitive form female friendships sometimes take … Continue reading →

By Donna Biddle When I went grade school in Terre Haute, Indiana in the 1940s, schools had more leeway as to when you went to school and what could be a reason to let school out early. I particularly remember … Continue reading →

By Joan T. Zeier When I was growing up on our Columbia County farm, changes came slowly, if at all. Same landscape, same cycle of seasons, same activities, year after year. Even inside our farmhouse I can visualize the placement … Continue reading →

By Doug Elwell The little village of Pinhook is a speck almost lost in the boundless patchwork quilt of corn and bean fields that covers the east central Illinois prairie. In the mid-fifties there was Ike. The boys were back from … Continue reading →

“It’s open, Mamaw! Halloween Express is open. We have to stop and buy my costume,” exclaimed my five-year old grandson as I navigated the rush hour traffic on Verona Road. “Stop, Mamaw, stop!” implored my grandson as we drove right … Continue reading →