Thinking of the West

Do you ever feel like going out into the middle of nowhere and screaming as loud as you can? For the past three days I’ve had this nervous energy where all I want to do is scream and yell and thrash my head and run until I can’t run anymore. My body is seeking an … Continue reading »

Is Objective Journalism Dead?

When I was working as a newspaper reporter in Minnesota, I once received a compliment from a state representative that made me incredibly proud. He said he enjoyed being interviewed by me because I never led on to whether I was a Republican or Democrat, and neither did my questions. “Now don’t tell me,” he … Continue reading »

A Fun New Anxiety: Killer Ice

I’ve developed a fear I never had before moving to Chicago and working downtown: ice plummeting 40 stories during a winter thaw and impaling me on my head. Giant skyscrapers and melting snow are a bad combination, and you’re reminded of the pending horror constantly. Signs are everywhere, written in large red letters, “DANGER: FALLING … Continue reading »

My Six-Word Memoir

The popularity of the six-word memoir a la Ernest Hemingway is back with the release of Smith Magazine’s new book, Six-Word Memoirs on Love & Heartbreak, a follow-up to Not Quite What I Was Planning. The idea: Your life in one sentence, six words. Here’s mine: Learned how mighty the pen is. I could also … Continue reading »

Dear Maine,

I’m disappointed, Maine. Gay marriage no, but medical marijuana yes? State-run grow houses OK, but gay monogamous commitment is not? Marriage in the U.S. is a legal recognition of a union joining two people into a partnership, a family. With that recognition comes certain civil benefits that should be accessible to all citizens, such as … Continue reading »

I am tired…

I am tired of the rage young people feel, whether from neglect, poverty, self doubt, fear. I am tired of seeing them hurt one another because they know no other way of expressing this rage. Words do not or can not articulate the their situation. Those who have used words go unheard or ignored, so … Continue reading »