By Peter Rodrigues Variations of the saying “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free,” originally attributed to Jesus, are now mottos inscribed in stone above the entrance to several secular universities, and the Original Headquarters Building of the Central Intelligence Agency. “You!” Dr. Steinberger said loudly, his voice piercing the … Continue reading Moment of Truth
Hijacked
By Carol E. Anderson The plane bounces once on the tarmac then screeches to a halt. The flight attendant opens the steel door and the heat blows through the aircraft causing my already pretzeled stomach to twist once again. I snatch my tattered backpack, sling it over my shoulder and step out. Thoughts whip through … Continue reading Hijacked
Too Sweet
By Meenakshi Bhatt A few years ago, I came across a YouTube channel that dealt with elegant dressing. I was trying to improve several aspects of my life and my dressing sense was one of those aspects. Though I watched several of the creator’s videos, I did not form a good impression of her. To … Continue reading Too Sweet
Nebula
By Kim Hayes My mother’s childhood home was just south of a small town called Tangipahoa, Louisiana, about a little over an hour’s drive north of New Orleans. It was one of those rural towns with one blinking light and if you sneezed, you’d drive through it. The house was called Nebula. My three or four … Continue reading Nebula
Talk to Me Sister, Trixie Mattel as a Pop Social Linguist
By Alan Lechusza In the era where banned books are up 30-40% nationwide overall (1,477 situations of banned books affecting 874 titles, PEN America 2023), the importance of contemporary cultural language – its use, dialectic and multi-media reference – becomes important. Pop cultural language transgresses the growing divide between academia and the modern lingua franca. … Continue reading Talk to Me Sister, Trixie Mattel as a Pop Social Linguist
A Patch of Green
By Ebony Haywood Previously published in Five on the Fifth When my student, Cristina, told me that she lived next door to a cemetery, my ears perked. “A cemetery?” “Yeah. Sometimes it feels creepy.” Cristina is fifteen with eyes that are always alert and a ponytail that sweeps the air like a pendulum. She is … Continue reading A Patch of Green
Why Do I Always Have to be on Time? My Obsession with Punctuality
By Phyllis Bordo My stomach does somersaults, and my palms become sweaty. My heart rockets in my chest and my cheeks go cherry red. It’s crazy; I get anxious even if I think I’ll be only a few minutes late. I don’t know why I have this obsession with being punctual. If I have a … Continue reading Why Do I Always Have to be on Time? My Obsession with Punctuality
Letters
By George Michael Brown The year was 1988. My mother had passed away the previous December, my father twenty-seven years before that. I was cleaning out their house, getting it ready to sell; the house I grew up in. I was removing items out of a small room in the basement, hidden behind the furnace, … Continue reading Letters
The parlour stove
By Vahida Berberovic Like so many children of my generation, my brother and I grew up with two working parents, and no one thought too much of leaving children alone at home. My parents had moved to Germany form the then-Yugoslavia, and my mother was keen to work and reap the benefits of earning her … Continue reading The parlour stove
Intensive Care
By Yolanda M. Joosten you stay as late as you can, given that you haven’t slept much in a couple of days, but who can sleep in a chair in the ICU when their mother is so close to death, so you listen to the doctor, talk to the nurse and leave them your number … Continue reading Intensive Care
Academy of the Heart And Mind 