Essay

I look down at my paper that was once crisp and white, fresh from the printer, and now it is so covered with writing that I struggle to find space to…

To Be Alone with Agnes: I didn’t want her to die. I stood on the other side of the curtain with my eyes squeezed shut and listening hard. I could hear the…

A Violet Battle Flag: Somehow, I found myself genuinely, internally distressed about color choices I was debating between painting a room in the upstairs…

I don’t mind turning fifty, really I don’t. I suppose after you lose your hair at thirty, aging just becomes an abstraction: I can’t really go gray after…

I never wanted a dog. Growing up, my main interactions with dogs involved being chased by the junkyard variety. Years ago, my ten-year-old son, Ian, began…

It’s back-to-school time once again. Students everywhere are returning to campus excited to see each other and catch up – but Roanoke College Professor…

I’ve always told my children, “Don’t hitchhike and don’t pick up hitchhikers.” But, in truth, from my own experience, I’ve found that hitchhiking can lead…

Top entries from the 13th Annual Celebration of Reflective and Creative Writing (2015):It’s never easy to deal with sickness and death, but nurses do it…

Mother's Day provides a chance to think about our mothers and about those who came before them -- the often unsung heroes of countless families.…

My son gave me a record player for Christmas. Here is how it works. You turn a knob to switch on the power. You place the vinyl LP onto the turntable. You…