A Love Letter to Oysters Note: A version of this essay won Second Prize in the 2023 Carolina Woman Writing Contest This post is a love letter to oysters. But you should just read it to yourself. Oysters have mouths but no ears; they won't hear a thing. We hosted an oyster roast over the … Continue reading A Love Letter to Oysters
The Games They Played My son received a barrel of toy soldiers at his fifth birthday party this past weekend. He and his almost-seven-year-old brother have been playing with them for three days. These are our first army men, and I'm not ready. There are two opposing armies - one dark green, the other light … Continue reading The Games They Played
Adults Only I like my insurance agent. He gives that personal touch - you know, like I'm his only client, his only concern. He looks me in the eye. He knows my name. He asks about the kids. He never scolds me or rolls his eyes when I ask redundant questions or need it all … Continue reading Adults Only
Punk Poetry You know why second-hand stuff is better than new stuff? Because someone else already decided it was good enough to buy in the first place. It's been curated. The really awful junk doesn't even make it to round two; the best of the best gets to advance to the finals, where it … Continue reading Punk Poetry
Fortune 40 Today, I had my annual check-up. Except, I've only been once before, so annual is a strong word to use here. Up until now, I'd stuck my tongue out at the doctor, not for the doctor. Well-checks, exams, and preventative medicine were for other people, not for me. But forty isn't young. It … Continue reading Fortune 40
Conspiracy Beeries I know someone who likes conspiracy theories. It's all of us. We all like conspiracy theories. We're wired to link disparate events and people, finding hidden connections and uncovering the meaning we so desperately crave. It gives us the advantage over our less sentient co-animals, but it can lead to some pretty crazy … Continue reading Conspiracy Beeries
A Hairy Subject Warning: This post is 99% tasteless jokes, 1% serious writing. I tried to do better. You see, I wanted to write a smart and sensitive post about eunuchs, but I didn't have the balls. I warned you. The pun all began with a quote from an article in this month's Smithsonian (Jan/Feb … Continue reading A Hairy Subject
The Vegetable Revolution Resolution "Gotta eat yo vegetables, eat yo vegetables" - Broccoli Brothers The Broccoli Brothers said it all. Vegetables are good for you, tasty, necessary, and in my house, in need of a revolution. Last night, we lost power about 8pm. When I was woken by the four-year-old at 3am, it was still … Continue reading The Vegetable Revolution Resolution
Trash Talk My friend watches a YouTube channel, Northern Mudlarks, featuring a Scottish mother-daughter team who hunt for (dubious) treasure along riverbanks and other shores. They find mud, reliably, and tiny pieces of the past that they analyze for value and meaning. Could that pot shard be from a moonshine jug? Could that pipe have … Continue reading Trash talk
I'm a sucker for sweet southern writing - the kind that glorifies grandmothers, reminisces about time gone by (even if it was just yesterday), and speaks to the heart in a secret language I've never quite learned, despite all the time spent listening. Perhaps reading Emily Carter’s blog, A Chicks View, will finally imbue me … Continue reading An Inspiring Chick
Jessi Waugh Writer 