By Kim Hayes My life started in June,1996. AOL, or more formally, America Online, in the 90s turned into the method people used for internet access. I installed the program on my computer one night in June of that year. Those first few nights I’d spend a couple of hours poking around. There were channels, … Continue reading Once Upon an AOL Chatroom
Letter To My Five-Year-Old Self
By Mia Remience Dear Five-Year-Old Self, I still have an image of you painted in my mind. I know that you wish for long, luscious locks like a Disney princess, yet your hair remains in a tragically non-royal bob. Your rounded face carries apples for cheeks, eyes that widen at the very thought of how … Continue reading Letter To My Five-Year-Old Self
Against a Past Life
By Riana Jicha Her honesty strikes through the bitterness of reality. Formations of life transfigure into one. Uncertainty rises as she does. The blend of today and tomorrow cascades through the night. The moon and the stars declare His glory. The celestial light illuminates her past and spotlights the future. Images hasten past as memories; … Continue reading Against a Past Life
Am I Smart for Nothing?
By Martha Bul How could a black girl graduate high school Summa Cum Laude with a 4.06 GPA at the top of her class but not get a full-ride scholarship to even just one of the top elite universities? That girl was me: Debra Owens. For the first time in my life, I felt like … Continue reading Am I Smart for Nothing?
Form and Feeling, or How to Write What Needs to Be Written
By Angela Lam If I wrote for late night TV, I might have submitted this script for The Daily Show: Jon Stewart flourishes his blue pen across the blue page. When the intro music stops, he says, “Forget politics! Let’s discuss family matters.” When the audience laughs, Jon points to the overhead video of Rose … Continue reading Form and Feeling, or How to Write What Needs to Be Written
Grandma Was Here Last Night
By Cithara Patra “I saw Grandma in my dream last night. Oh, she was there in the morning.” My son Joey fluffs his pillow before resting his head on it. He pulls the dull white hospital sheets over his body. My heart aches to see my little boy preparing for his surgery tomorrow, but he’s … Continue reading Grandma Was Here Last Night
My dear dog, Prince
By Aiping Zhang My daughter Dory had been begging for a dog for years, but my husband and I never thought it was a good idea. We were too busy finding our footing in this new country. He studied for almost a year to become a licensed real estate agent in Toronto. He then found … Continue reading My dear dog, Prince
Release
By Kandi Maxwell A few months back, when I traveled to my former home in California’s north-eastern corner, I knew the fall colors would be vibrant. The bright yellows of the Quaking Aspen leaves shimmered at the slightest breeze. The tall cottonwoods hadn’t turned completely yellow. Instead, brilliant green and yellow leaves blended together against … Continue reading Release
I Know Where
By Katherine Casey I know where the sadness lives in you. I know the savagery, too. I know how it felt to lie on your mother’s chest, skin to skin, and hear her heart beat; how whatever happens and wherever you go, you feel her with you. I know how your mother lost babies and … Continue reading I Know Where
Prima Facie Evidence
By Michael C. Roberts My parents were the product of the Dust Bowl, the Depression, and World War II service. After they passed away, like so many of my generation, I found in the basement that mom and dad had saved LIFE, Time, and newspapers heralding the Eisenhower and Kennedy elections, moon landings, and the … Continue reading Prima Facie Evidence
Academy of the Heart And Mind 