I hear the girls before I see them. “Oh my gosh, it’s a lizard!” Then a swarm of giggles and scuffling footsteps travel up the street, into the driveway, onto my front porch where I sit with a glass of Cabernet in the waning October sun reading Joan...
I teach English 101. My classroom is the first college experience most of my students ever have. On the first day of class, it’s a guarantee that someone will raise their hand to ask if they can go to the bathroom, and they will stare at me weirdly when I answer,...
Emily Waters Shearer Cartography I am a man with a penchant for studying maps and their narratives trapped in the dimension of border and landmark, squiggle of river, brushstroke of shoreline. I quantify canyons and caves with the tools of a surveyor:...
Those long plastic boxes with seven lids-one for each day of the week. MTWTFSS. Pill charts. Take on an empty stomach, a full meal, a glass of water. Avoid direct sunlight. Check your blood sugar levels. Administer every four hours. Check with your doctor about...
Last week my step-daughter (G) had the day off from work and we decided to spend the fall afternoon apple-picking. After a sweet treat lunch of lobster rolls and fries with my husband, we set off to a near-by farm. As he headed back to work and we walked to the...
Madness comes in many forms. Ophelias, Aida Bahr’s latest story collection, tactfully touches upon many of them, exploring the mysterious forces that can bring even the strongest human spirit to its knees. Like the book’s muse, the women at the center of Bahr’s tales...
Yesterday, I sat on a picnic table on the banks of the Chattachoochee River mesmerized by the movement of water. Tiny ripples glimmered on the surface, pulsing with energy and promise. Two ducks caught in the flow, drifted past. I reached for my camera to capture the...
Two of my dear friends, Jean and Alex, both age 63, died a few days before I stepped into my first labyrinth— a sacred path leading from outer to inner, or Earth to God, depending on one’s perspective. I was in Arizona. My mind was tortuous, turning like the...
Sunset from my backyard two weeks ago. Can you believe the colors? I couldn’t. This incredible mix of oranges, blues and purples made me grab my camera and snap a few photos from my deck. As silly as this sounds I couldn’t believe that such a beautiful...
Several years ago, Stephen Colbert gave the commencement speech at my alma mater, Knox College. He talked about the importance of approaching life as improv. He explained that when actors improvise, the scene unfolds as each individual says, Yes, and. You have to...
