Red's Wrap
Happiness. It's relative.
Tag: memoir
Cars I Have Loved: 1964 VW Beetle
My first car was a 1964 green Volkswagen Beetle. I paid $750 for it which was a lot because, at the time, I was making $85 a week as a secretary. For whatever reason, the transmission failed the same day I bought it after… Continue Reading “Cars I Have Loved: 1964 VW Beetle”
Butter Days
I bought another pound of butter today. I thought we had plenty of butter but I wasn’t sure and, besides, it’s not like you have to wait for the last bit of butter to be used up before buying more. If you do that,… Continue Reading “Butter Days”
My Time as a Funeral Emcee
I was once the emcee of a funeral. I had no qualifications for this role. I’m not a minister or a funeral director or even a practiced mourner. But when my longtime friend asked me to be the emcee of her mother’s funeral, I… Continue Reading “My Time as a Funeral Emcee”
Ancient Stories
Things that happened long ago don’t seem like they happened yesterday. They seem like they happened long ago. This morning’s writing check-in with a group of writers increasingly dear to me centered on a discussion of violence. One person was wrestling with how to… Continue Reading “Ancient Stories”
Tiny Things Last
A tiny thing can last for years. The memory of it can be as fresh as the first second, the leaves on the bush as green, the soil underneath as loamy and dark and the tiny elves’ footprints as distinct. My brother would motion… Continue Reading “Tiny Things Last”
Straight with Many Limes
Flor de Cana is Nicaraguan rum. I’m not a connoisseur of rum. I only drink this rum. Because it is Nicaraguan. I remember being in Managua, sitting in the courtyard of Casa Bolonia, a squat, sprawling hotel where plywood had been used to make… Continue Reading “Straight with Many Limes”
Head Spinning
A few nights ago, I searched for old boyfriends on social media. I found one from when I was 19. When I met him, he was a few years older than me, had just returned from Vietnam, and had his jaw wired shut as… Continue Reading “Head Spinning”
Rings
[I’m taking an online flash nonfiction class. First assignment this week: 10 minutes on the prompt: The telephone rang.] The telephone rang but I didn’t answer it. I thought I knew who was calling but figured I’d only know if the phone rang again.… Continue Reading “Rings”
The Fall
I fell. I fell on a boat ramp that had jagged rows of bumpy concrete intended to prevent falling. I gripped the end of the kayak in my right hand, faced up the ramp like I had done so often before, and waited for… Continue Reading “The Fall”
One Bird Two Wires
She sat across the conference table from me, an unintended meeting nearly forty years in the making. She was an old boyfriend’s other love interest, the woman he was with when he wasn’t with me which was often because we fought. He went on… Continue Reading “One Bird Two Wires”
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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