Category Archives: Guest writer

by Donald A. Ranard Photos by Ray Oram, a British volunteer who taught English with the author at the lycée. I met the German at the night market in Chiang Mai. The northern Thai city was a small town then, … Continue reading →

This post concludes our short series that began with a review of the book Family Trouble: Memoirists on the Hazards and Rewards of Revealing Family. In the second, I recounted my own difficulties in Friend Trouble. In this final post, Josh … Continue reading →

By Fay McClurg  Thoughts after election day:  was it my fault? The Facebook ads from the Harris campaign had been threatening. I was being asked to imagine waking up on November 6 to the nightmare that d.t. won the election. … Continue reading →

Today I offer Renee Lajcak’s essay, read by the author. Why? Because Renee writes sometimes to be read, and sometimes to read aloud, because she enjoys performing her pieces. “There’s a difference in how I write for spoken word,” says … Continue reading →

By Josh Feyen I felt good moving into your basement a few days after I graduated from high school. A family friend had lined up a painting job for me in Milwaukee, but I needed to find a place to … Continue reading →

By Faith Ellestad ‘Twas the season of festivity at work. Our normally quite ordinary, no-nonsense medical department had suddenly transformed into a wonderland of red, green, and silver.  Trees sprang up. Office doors sported wreaths and bells. A menorah appeared … Continue reading →

By Janet Manders I was a shy and quiet person throughout my youth. My personality often kept me in the background. And unnoticed. I enjoyed a small circle of gal pals, but I was never the one to lead that … Continue reading →

Today I offer Renee Lajcak’s essay, read by the author. Why? Because Renee writes sometimes to be read, and sometimes to read aloud, because she enjoys performing her pieces. “There’s a difference in how I write for spoken word,” says … Continue reading →

By Margaret Ann Gethers Scott, Ph.D. Margaret is her family’s historian, and author of two books on family history. This post is the first of a two-part series; next week, Margaret will share her thoughts on being a family historian. … Continue reading →

By Jay Akin It’s 9 AM on a Tuesday. I’ve never been in so much pain in my life! I’ve never broken a bone or birthed a child so I don’t have those as reference points. The next level of … Continue reading →