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Why Are You So Quiet?
Colleen Edwards Owen Clarke 4/18/25 Colleen Edwards Owen Clarke 4/18/25

Why Are You So Quiet?

I’ve spent much of my life running from part of myself. Now, at 29, I’m finally learning to embrace it.

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You’ve Got a Friend in Me
Colleen Edwards Owen Clarke 12/16/22 Colleen Edwards Owen Clarke 12/16/22

You’ve Got a Friend in Me

Reflections on a lifelong best friend.

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Responsibility to be Happy
Colleen Edwards Owen Clarke 11/4/22 Colleen Edwards Owen Clarke 11/4/22

Responsibility to be Happy

Time is a beautiful thing.

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The System
Colleen Edwards Owen Clarke 7/15/22 Colleen Edwards Owen Clarke 7/15/22

The System

We need to do better for our houseless neighbors.

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Postcards
Colleen Edwards Owen Clarke 5/20/22 Colleen Edwards Owen Clarke 5/20/22

Postcards

Tiny glimpses into the lives of others remind us of our own humanity.

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One More Hill
Colleen Edwards Owen Clarke 3/25/22 Colleen Edwards Owen Clarke 3/25/22

One More Hill

Lessons learned while mountain biking with my dad during the coronavirus pandemic.

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If This Isn’t Nice, What Is?
Colleen Edwards Owen Clarke 1/23/22 Colleen Edwards Owen Clarke 1/23/22

If This Isn’t Nice, What Is?

We all have the choice to figure out what we most want out of this life… What and who is worth suffering for?

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Early Endings
Colleen Edwards Owen Clarke 10/29/21 Colleen Edwards Owen Clarke 10/29/21

Early Endings

A reflection on letting go.

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The Little Things
Colleen Edwards Owen Clarke 8/20/21 Colleen Edwards Owen Clarke 8/20/21

The Little Things

Finding magic in the little stuff.

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Not Every Mom Scrabbles
Colleen Edwards Owen Clarke 7/2/21 Colleen Edwards Owen Clarke 7/2/21

Not Every Mom Scrabbles

On letters and a mother’s love.

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Speaking with Strangers
Colleen Edwards Owen Clarke 4/16/21 Colleen Edwards Owen Clarke 4/16/21

Speaking with Strangers

Loneliness doesn’t have to be something you need to fix.

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Recent Essays

Essays
Watching Geese
Kevin Ryan
May 2, 2025
Watching Geese
Kevin Ryan
May 2, 2025

Pondering the tides of friendship.

Kevin Ryan
May 2, 2025
Why Are You So Quiet?
Colleen Edwards
Apr 18, 2025
Why Are You So Quiet?
Colleen Edwards
Apr 18, 2025

I’ve spent much of my life running from part of myself. Now, at 29, I’m finally learning to embrace it.

Colleen Edwards
Apr 18, 2025
How to Fold a Paper Crane
Matthew Polson
Apr 4, 2025
How to Fold a Paper Crane
Matthew Polson
Apr 4, 2025

A guided meditation.

Matthew Polson
Apr 4, 2025
Seasons of Healing
Caroline Gibbons
Mar 21, 2025
Seasons of Healing
Caroline Gibbons
Mar 21, 2025

The author receives lessons from nature as she reflects on her recovery from a traumatic brain injury.

Caroline Gibbons
Mar 21, 2025
Climbing in the Bible Belt
David Whalen
Jan 31, 2025
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David Whalen
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Parables from the Chattanoogan climbing scene.

David Whalen
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Fishing at Disneyland
Ryan Gossen
Jan 17, 2025
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How 1970s Disneyland damaged spacetime and broke my concept of nature.

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Ugly Man and Other Poems
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Ugly Man and Other Poems
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Poetry by H. H. Chase Rodgers.

H. H. Rodgers
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You Are What/How/Where You Work
Teddy Dondanville
Dec 27, 2024
You Are What/How/Where You Work
Teddy Dondanville
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A much more entertaining glimpse at my employment history than my current resume.

Teddy Dondanville
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The Choice
Amber Willard
Dec 13, 2024
The Choice
Amber Willard
Dec 13, 2024

The author explores her decision to leave her life in the United States behind and move, permanently, to the Czech Republic.

Amber Willard
Dec 13, 2024
Maggie’s Kingdom
Ryan Sullivan
Nov 22, 2024
Maggie’s Kingdom
Ryan Sullivan
Nov 22, 2024

The author reflects on a paddling journey through the swamps of Florida.

Ryan Sullivan
Nov 22, 2024
Sick in the Head
Owen Clarke
Nov 15, 2024
Sick in the Head
Owen Clarke
Nov 15, 2024

Underpriced goat meat in Peru, overpriced coffee in Alabama.

Owen Clarke
Nov 15, 2024
Ten Days of Silence
Holly French
Oct 18, 2024
Ten Days of Silence
Holly French
Oct 18, 2024

I signed up for an advanced meditation course in Nepal, but I had never meditated before. Here’s how it went.

Holly French
Oct 18, 2024

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