Red's Wrap
Happiness. It's relative.
Category: Writing
Write It with a Red Pen
It never occurred to me to be anything. Growing up as a kid in a small town and then later as a kid in a working-class suburb of Detroit, I never thought about it, what I wanted to be when I grew up. How… Continue Reading “Write It with a Red Pen”
Maybe All the Great Stories Have Already Been Written
The thunderstorm is unrelenting. Swirl paces a circle around my office into the hallway, into the spare bedroom, and back again. Occasionally, maybe every third circuit, he stops to put both front paws in the cat’s litter box like one might while waiting for… Continue Reading “Maybe All the Great Stories Have Already Been Written”
The Incredible Endurance of Grief
A gift-wrapped, autographed copy of Diana Nyad’s book Find A Way came in the mail today but I don’t know from whom. For a minute, I thought maybe I’d ordered it in some drunken haze but I quit that business a long time ago. Drunken glows,… Continue Reading “The Incredible Endurance of Grief”
The Week After Thanksgiving
Turkey wishbone snapped Winner’s wish evaporates The moment spoken ___________ Photo by Tyler Donaghy on Unsplash
A Hundred Cups of Honey
I was not a natural as a newborn’s mother. I was unsure, tentative, sensitive, and defensive. A co-worker laughingly joked that I had the “worst adjustment to motherhood anyone had ever seen.” I laughed with him but what he said was true. I had… Continue Reading “A Hundred Cups of Honey”
Vernon’s Workbench in the Garage
The lights in the garage flicked on and off three times. That was the signal that Greta was going to bed. He could feel her looking at him through the window of the kitchen door. He didn’t look up. Vernon flicked the light over… Continue Reading “Vernon’s Workbench in the Garage”
It Looks Like a Round-Up but It’s Just Thursday
The sound of the lawn being mowed by someone not me is delicious. Later, I’m going to make myself a bowl of instant mashed potatoes and that will be a travesty but also delicious considering my current food choices. This morning, I found my… Continue Reading “It Looks Like a Round-Up but It’s Just Thursday”
She Had Eggs in Her Car
I like people who ask if you want duck eggs. Especially if they don’t explain how they came to have duck eggs, and I really like them if they say they could get goose eggs if I want some. Like goose eggs are contraband.… Continue Reading “She Had Eggs in Her Car”
No Lizards or Rodents, Please
I once had a chameleon named after me. Janice. She was my daughter’s pet. Not beloved but liked well enough. Janice lived in my daughter’s bedroom on the third floor. Frequently, during the winter, my daughter complained heartily about how cold it was in… Continue Reading “No Lizards or Rodents, Please”
Snow Door | wisconsinacademy.org
Listen to Jan read her essay “Billy” presented on WUWM’s Lake Effect
Jan’s essay “At the Breakfast Bar” on WUWM Lake Effect
Jan’s essay “The Parish Hall,” on WUWM Lake Effect
“Fury Cannot Touch Me,” Modern Love, NYT, 9/29/11
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