I recently saw a meme that hit me right in the feelings. It read:
I used to have a life but then I watched “Impractical Jokers.”
Keep Playing
I first saw Chicago (the band) perform live on tour with Earth, Wind & Fire in the early 2000s. Since then, I have been to many concerts and have seen some of my all-time favorite bands perform.
I still rank Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire in the Top Five Best Concerts I Have Ever Seen.
Beyond “Dualities” in Poetry by Jason Phoebe Rusch
“Dualities,” the debut poetry collection by Jason Phoebe Rusch (Short Flight/Long Drive Books, 2018), is a coming of age story told in mostly first person. The collection of poetry glimpses into someone’s life, one narrative at a time. Rusch captivates readers with vivid words describing times, places and feelings.
In “What Do You Love About Haiti?” readers get to know a little more about Rusch. He travels, including time in Haiti during an earthquake. The powerful images here suggest he witnessed the aftermath of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in 2010, as Rusch states:
I’d never seen a dead body
before the earthquake. The earth
that day felt like something moving
underneath, in pursuit…
After the earthquake, I became accustomed
to the smell of death, no longer noticed it
clinging to my clothes, my skin. It became
the norm that houses should look like dioramas,
rooms exposed: staircases twisted and mangled,
kitchen tables tilting.
These words leave the reader uncomfortable yet compassionate. Indeed, uncomfortable yet compassionate is the theme throughout “Dualities.”
THIS POST contains the secrets of life and love and eternal contentedness:
I received an intriguing text from my cousin at the beginning of this month. We’d recently been having deep conversations, from analyzing Oscar-winning movies to mulling over relationships that appear to be unfixable. It read:
“Oh wise cousin of mine, tell me the secrets of life and love and eternal contentedness…”
Michalski’s “The Summer She Was Under Water,” a Refreshing Read
Reading “The Summer She Was Under Water” (reissued by Black Lawrence Press, 2017) by Jen Michalski has been truly refreshing. It is a fictional story with deep and complicated characters, while still managing to be easy to read. Like water, the language is clear and the flow of the story smooth.
Teaching and Learning Empathy
We all have that one teacher who played a strong role in our life. Maybe some of us had more than one—I was lucky to have a few. The ones who encouraged my creativity. There was one who helped break my public thumbsucking habit. (Thanks a lot, Ms. Loftstrum.)
The one who sticks out the most is someone who I had my senior year of high school, and it wasn’t the thumbsucking habit-breaker. Everyone who went to my Catholic high school had him senior year. It was technically called Morality.
Running Workshops Has Given More Than Constructive Criticisms
Since July 2017 I’ve been fortunate enough to work with three helpful and flexible public libraries in New Jersey to run writing workshops. I approached my local library in June because I realized that my area needed more events to allow writers to share their work and have constructive criticisms to expand previously written works.
Months later, I realized I received more than I expected.
On Adoption
November is national adoption month. Like millions of others, adoption has had a positive effect on my life.
When I was 11 years old, adoption brought one of the most important people in my life to me: my cousin. She is the closest person I have to a younger sister. I watched her grow up, from pushing her in a carriage and changing her diapers to hearing about college, grades and prom.
Eddie Izzard, Still Dressed to Kill
I fell for Eddie Izzard within the first few minutes of his 1999 stand-up comedy special Dress to Kill. It is appropriately named as Izzard looked wonderful in his pants suit and flawlessly done make up. And if his appearance…
The Art of Massage Therapy
As many students begin their school year, tomorrow I will finish with mine.
Through an unlikely series of events, I was able to earn my licensure for massage therapy in the state of New Jersey through my county college.
While I am grateful to be able to enter this field, I am excited to be finished with school. I am excited for an end to anatomy and physiology classes at 8 a.m. I am excited for the end of tests.
I really hate 8 a.m.
I Don’t Like Change
There! I admitted it. I don’t like change. We are told that humans like routine, habit, structure, consistency. Well, I am human, and I like those things. I have so far avoided admitting it, through my words and actions. I…
Soap Operas: Underrated But Still Present
I have a few guilty pleasures. I’m a woman who loves her ice cream, french fries, and soap operas. For a long time, I watched four. This meant four and a half hours of television shows to catch up on after school a day. Nowadays, the demand for soaps have changed and my four dwindled down to one.
I truly believe it is an art form that is dying for the wrong reasons.
“The Former Lives of Saints”: Collaboration, Poetry, and Community
“The Former Lives of Saints” is a collection of poetry from Damian Rucci and Ezhno Martin. Rucci is a New Jersey native and hosts the monthly poetry event in the Jersey Shore town of Keyport called Poetry in the Port. He met Martin in Missouri while on a reading tour; Martin still lives there today. Their collaboration on this collection soon followed. The release party for “The Former Lives of Saints” was hosted in Keyport on June 8, 2017.
What It Means To Be “Aunt Megan”
Today marks the day that Brielle is a month and a day old.
Who might Brielle be? Well, she’s my niece.
“The Graffiti of Pompeii” – An Interview with Laura Sobbott Ross
Laura Sobbott Ross has been writing poetry since she was a teenager. Her writing has appeared in The Florida Review, Meridian, and many others. She was a finalist for the 2016 Newfound Anzaldúa Poetry Prize, as well as a finalist for the Pushcart Prize and the Arts & Letters Poetry Prize in 2016.
A Weird Sensation: Happiness
This weird sensation came over me the other day while driving.
Happiness.
All Triumphs are Triumphs: Getting Organized in 2017
I finally did it! I purchased my very own daily planner, and in late December 2016, I actually wrote in it.
As you can tell, I am proud of this moment. It may not seem like a huge feat to all, but for a disorganized mess like myself, it is certainly something to celebrate.
Last Minute Gift Ideas: A Guide
Last minute gift ideas? You’ve come to the right place! I am no expert shopper, but if there’s anything I am an expert at it is being late. I am Last-Minute Megan, after all.
I understand gift-purchasing anxiety. I know the value of currency and time. I recognize that family and friends may be just be a little too honest. So I have compiled a list of suggestions to help me get it together. Maybe it will help you with gift shopping needs:
How to Fail at Fall
It can’t just be me. There have got to be other people out there like me. I prepare and prepare for fall and one of the best holidays (Halloween!) in my favorite season, and I still manage to fail.
I fail at Halloween.