Personal and reported creative non-fiction exploring lived experience.
By Gustavo I. Gomez You don’t want to know what it’s like to house-sit three spoiled-rotten dogs all by yourself. You have to be on guard at all times. Those little critters your wife calls her “fur babies,” and that you love more than you’re willing to admit, are...
By Ryan Vergara At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: I must go to work — as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for — the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created...
By Dani Nuchereno “Hi Honey, Sending you some spending $. We hope you have a very memorable holiday season in Germany. We will miss you! Love you lots, aunt Deb and uncle Den.” - Note received just before departure A winter storm and a Meat Loaf concert landed me in...
By Ryan Vergara After all the ceremonies for Harvard’s Class of 2025 concluded, my fellow graduates fled Cambridge. I likewise took my leave, out to Rockport on a commuter train. With my wife beside me, I stared out the window at misty Massachusetts, eventually dozing...
By Art Foster My wife loves chicken noodle soup. When she isn’t feeling well, chicken noodle soup, a fuzzy blanket, and the Golden Girls bring her comfort. I assume that’s how her mother cared for her when she was young, and it makes her feel safe, it makes her feel...
By Natalia Baronina Earth is a living organism. As she orbits the sun and rotates on her axis, she wakes up with the first light, and the flora and fauna come to life. And as she submerges into the darkness, she falls asleep under the stars, extending an invitation to...
By Patrick Dunn When I was thirteen years old, Mom and Dad never stopped screaming, blaming me for their disaster marriage. It wasn’t my fault Dad had a gambling addiction. It wasn’t me who convinced Mom to day-trade our savings away. I had...
By Karen J. Birdsell “But that’s not fair!” I cried. June 22nd, 1994. A day that would live in infamy forever, for my 4th-grade teacher, Mr. Patterson, refused to give me the highly anticipated new blue raspberry-flavored Blow Pop he’d promised the class at the end of...
By Ryan Vergara Bones are the piece of human anatomy I find most fascinating. They are among the last elements to materialize, remaining unformed in the years of our infancy, yet they are the last remnants of human decay. From forensics to fossils, bones are the final...
By Dragan Bozdarov Someone I love is in a lot of pain. Because of this, I find myself driving aimlessly and for far too long. It's not that I don't like driving; I do. It's just that I catch myself turning down side streets, dialing up loud and very sad music. Most...