I Wrote a Letter
Sheri Reda, Poetry Contributing Writer Sheri Reda, Poetry Contributing Writer

I Wrote a Letter

I was married and happy and not looking. But I went out on assignment to help him cultivate his fields, and something wild coursed through me. Something not cultivated, at all. I ended up writing him a letter:

I want to fuck your farm.
I want to curl my toes in the brown clay,
mash the wet soil under my arches,
squeeze the juice out of the squirming underground
and watch it bubble up out of the mud,
and over my heel,
and out from under the balls of my feet: musky.
insistent. warm like arterial blood.

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Getting Paid to Type as a Writer
David Himmel David Himmel David Himmel David Himmel

Getting Paid to Type as a Writer

Not everything has to be gold. Not everything has to be a bestseller. Most things won’t be either. But it’s nice to work toward something like that. Spending your days trying to leave something that will survive you, something that will separate you from the herd, something that your wife and kid and parents and grandparents and friends can be proud of. Something you can be proud of. Something that means anything to anyone anywhere. Even for a moment. Because if you can do that, then you’ve got proof to show the gods you’ve done something of value while you were here breathing the free air. It wasn’t a life spent taking; it was one that gave back, too.

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All Lessons Matter Because the Children are Watching
Don Hall Don Hall Don Hall Don Hall

All Lessons Matter Because the Children are Watching

As a former teacher, I think our ideas of teaching others has become somewhat skewed. It seems that teaching is somehow congruent with lecturing, admonishing, grading. While those are definitely methods used in the modern school system, it is not the most effective way to teach children. The most effective method to teach children is by example.

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Mommy Shaming
J.L. Thurston Jenni Thurston J.L. Thurston Jenni Thurston

Mommy Shaming

Whenever I left her in another’s care I was weighted down with excessive guilt because I know the pain this kid can unleash. But she only does it to me. And I couldn’t stop wondering why?

Mommy shaming. That’s why.

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Notes from the Post-it Wall | Week of March 31, 2019
David Himmel, Post-It Wall Notes David Himmel David Himmel, Post-It Wall Notes David Himmel

Notes from the Post-it Wall | Week of March 31, 2019

Here’s a new term that must be incorporated into our lexicon: “Momsplaining.”
Momsplaining
/ˈmomˌsplāniNG/
noun INFORMAL
the explanation of something by a woman, typically a mother, and typically to a man such as her husband or boyfriend, in a manner regarded as condescending or patronizing (ironically enough).
SYNONYM: Wifesplaining

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True Stories from the ER: Do You Have a Uterus?
J.L. Thurston Jenni Thurston J.L. Thurston Jenni Thurston

True Stories from the ER: Do You Have a Uterus?

Do you have a uterus? It is a question we should be allowed to ask in a hospital. Especially those who work in radiology, a field that could potentially end a pregnancy with X-rays. Because that’s what it’s all about. The sole purpose of a uterus is to house a developing fetus. And — no matter what you identify as — if you have a uterus we in the hospital need to know whether there’s a chance for pregnancy. Drugs, radiation, and certain procedures can harm or kill a fetus.

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