Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Red Cross is Asking for Help

posted by Nigel Voight The above video is first person footage of the devastation wreaked by the Japanese tsunami. After viewing the video, if you wish to contribute, the instructions below are from The American Red Cross. [From source: Red Cross] The Red Cross is asking for help to aid Japan. If you are in […]

Surefire Success Strategies for Your Writing Life

by Sage Cohen Creating a successful writing life depends as much on our attitudes, strategies and systems, as it does on great writing. Follow the steps below to create your own productivity blueprint, and make 2011 your best writing and publishing year yet. Define what success means to you Since we generally accomplish close to […]

The Code

by Sashana Kane Proctor Photo by Chrissy Maini   Hey! I was eating that cheesecake! Give it back! I wasn’t done eating that! Who do you think you are anyway? Who let you in here? Who gave you the gate code? You can’t get in here without the code! Oh… Look! What if I promise […]

Justice in the Case of Luis Santos’ Death: A California Citizen and Friend of the Santos’ Family Weighs In

Just a few years ago, in August 2008, I was sitting at a party in the home of the Santos family. Their home was full of love and laughter, and it was then that I was introduced to Luis Santos. He was a beautiful boy; and I could see him becoming a handsome man in the future. He was charming and quick to smile and laugh. He interacted with his elderly relatives, parents, and cousins in a way that was thoughtful and considerate. I spoke with him for quite a while that day, and he told me all about the goals had for himself, and what sounded like big plans for a really bright future I was both charmed and impressed by him.

The Ticking Clock: An Egyptian’s First Hand Account of the Protest in Tahrir Square

It began with a Facebook event invite that had a catchy title: “Anger Friday for Revolution Against Corruption, Injustice, Unemployment, and Torture.” Roughly eighty thousand people were classified as “attending”, but the replies of over one million Facebook users were still listed “awaited”. Perhaps that was because there were several virtual farms and cities that needed tending to, and this was no game. Tahrir Square was to be both the physical and symbolic center of the protest, an appropriate decision given that tahrir is Arabic for ‘liberation’. Unlike the previous protest which had taken place three days earlier, this one was planned from the very start to go nationwide.

Karakia (Prayers for a Baby Boy)

by Eros-Alegra Clarke Prayers All day my body is curved around my seven-month-old baby, Joaquin. He rides on my hip, his hand resting on my breast, his arm slung over my shoulder. I am once again transformed into a one-armed pourer of tea, maker of ba-bas, masher of potatoes. A one-finger typist. In less than […]

Sea Dreams

by Sharon Walling Lila, at nine was the younger of two sisters.  She laughed easily and had a heart bigger than her years. She played piano and sang and did both very well, thank you very much.  She was a good student, because school was not only a favorite pastime, it was an escape.But when […]

Into Africa: A Journal of a New Life in Uganda

by Sharon Walling Tiny lights from small houses diamond-stud the darkness. I would like to gather all them all and cast them into the sky by my house in Masindi. But perhaps the lack of lighted hills will enhance the million-star sky I hope to see. Are there stars in Masindi? There must be. I […]

They Said it Would Be Wonderful

A short story by Susanna Solomon At seventeen, Christy St. Claire had been a virgin long enough. All of her friends had made it with guys, but she hadn’t, no, not yet. Having a boyfriend was a big deal for her, but that wasn’t the point, not really. It was this goddamn virginity, and it […]

ARTIST’s Madonna and Child Breastfeeding Paintings Removed from Facebook as “Obscenities”

by Kate Hansen After the birth of my son in 2007, I felt an incredible energy and drive to make art. Contrary to the popular belief that art-making is one of the things that fall to the wayside after the birth of children, I felt not just inspired but compelled by my experience of childbirth […]