Red's Wrap
Happiness. It's relative.
Tag: NaBloPoMo
Start Where You Are
It’s depressing like a funeral. I went to the demonstration at Milwaukee’s Red Arrow Park because I had to be a body. I’ve gone to funerals sometimes because I’ve gotten it in my head that the bereaved, a dead friend or acquaintance’s relatives, should… Continue Reading “Start Where You Are”
A 33-Word Editorial about Ferguson
People whose anger could ignite change opt instead to be polite, not wanting to rock boats carrying disapproval, while those whose anger is expected and discounted influence nothing but the air around them.
But He Seemed Like Such a Nice Guy
A highly-respected local columnist is catching it on Facebook because of a piece he published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel entitled “This is the Bill Cosby I Know.” The columnist, Eugene Kane, came to know Bill Cosby after criticizing him for one of his… Continue Reading “But He Seemed Like Such a Nice Guy”
Diversify
“What’s your deal with wrecked things?” “It’s not wrecked. It’s just leaning a little. If it was wrecked, there’d be a hole in the roof or a side of it would be on the ground.” “Sure, whatever you say. But don’t deny you’ve got… Continue Reading “Diversify”
Fashion News
The most amazing thing in my life right now is that most of my pants are falling off my ass. This might be something that has happened to most people but it has never happened to me. Generally, the opposite has been true where… Continue Reading “Fashion News”
I’m 1 in 3
Today is the national 1 in 3 Speak Out, part of a multi-year movement to reduce abortion stigma by asking women to tell their stories. I know this is a powerful thing because I did it. Twice. After I wrote an essay that got… Continue Reading “I’m 1 in 3”
Pops
My dad handled everything smoking a cigarette, later a cigar clenched in his teeth. He fixed things with a blowtorch, kept screws in peanut butter jars. When he wasn’t fixing things, he took my mother to the hospital and played the piano.
Scorecard
Her children are doing great, one is an accountant, another in law school, the last in Central America on a break from college,resumes folded in her purse to show me if I asked. I turned away from the contest, knowing I would have to… Continue Reading “Scorecard”
Lady Godiva
The landlord gave me thirty days. The letter came out of the blue. In the mail. An official letter with a return receipt attached that I had to sign so the mailman could tell the sender that I’d gotten the letter, held it in… Continue Reading “Lady Godiva”
Tradition
At Lambeau Field, fans wear hats their fathers wore because they brought good luck once and might again; those with new hats defer to history, their sameness mass-produced offers scant chance of inheritance.
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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