aka: No ONE owes you a read, a clap, or a flying fig! — Over 3,000 people have joined the Facebook group I started for Medium and Vocal writers. The majority of them are silent, a core group of members are active and supporters, and a few folks are oblivious to the norms of politeness. I do what I can, pointing them to the…

There’s a reason the rearview mirror is so small — When I was 15 my boyfriend told me I was beautiful. I believed him. When I looked into the mirror I saw a pretty girl looking back at me. When I was 16 my parents told me I was fat. I believed them. When I looked into the mirror I…

How could something so normal be so harmful? Sharon and Stacey wound their way through the aisles of the party goods store looking for the tablecloths, napkins, door covers, and all of the other things that would guarantee the perfect Little Mermaid party for Stacey’s fifth birthday. They passed cowboys…

This is how I know — I know I am a writer. Not because I have it tattooed on my neck But because the words crawl along the inside of my skin Seeking for an exit to the world Teasing me with their whispers Promising me their relevance Aching to be seen. */\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\* I know I…

I never had ‘unlimited talk’ growing up — I am ‘Wait until after 10 PM before calling your Grandmother’ -years old. Grandma lived within our state but outside our area code. Used to be that those were ‘toll calls’ and calling her before 10 PM meant we were charged extra for the call. I am ‘Can’t you write…

It seems to take forever to get there and no time at all to return — It took a hundred years for me to turn ten years old. My life defined by pre-set achievements: The time before my mother died The time before my sister arrived The time before I went to school The time before we moved, again. It took two centuries for me to…

After 62 years, I’m not likely to change things — I had an ‘a-ha!’ moment recently. Getting dressed in the cold and dark Michigan morning, contemplating my life’s mistakes and thinking about the possible lack of coffee creamer that awaited me… I looked down at my right hand and… noticed something. The fingers of that right hand held one end…

Highs and the Lows as a Vocal Writer in 2022 — I mainly write here on Medium, but I had my start on other platforms. I flirted with Tumblr, have TWO blogs on WordPress, and truly dove in with my first fiction writing on the Vocal platform. 2021 left many Vocal writers somewhat shaken and disconnected. We had hope that 2022…

I am so over this — I belong to 23 Facebook groups for Medium and Vocal writers. One of them (The Medium Writers and Vocal Creators Support Group) I started in April 2021. …