Recent Posts
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Top Ten Biographies
I love reading biographies. Imagining these things to have actually happened, whether the author took creative liberties or not, is amazing. Night by Elie Wiesel (1955, 1958, 1960) The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (2005) Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed (2012) Into the Wild Jon Krakauer (1996) […]
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Top Ten Short Stories
Sometimes, all you need is a short story to get your mind off things. Short stories can be better than novels in some ways, mostly because of their brevity. “Popular Mechanics” by Raymond Carver (1988) “Axolotl” by Julio Cortazar (1952) “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien (1987) “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver (1989) “The Tell-Tale […]
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Poolman, Bailey, Short Stories
Jezebel, Part 5
Jezebel woke to a shot of lightning. The room was bright as day for a moment, then went dark. She felt around for Elijah but didn’t find him. She sat up in the bed. The fire was out. Rain pounded on the roof and lightning lit the room again. The rain comforted her, natural noises […]
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Poolman, Bailey, Short Stories
Jezebel, Part 4
Jezebel walked into the woods. The morning was warmer than she’d expected, but it was cloudy and cold still. She weaved through the trees, by the river clouded with ice, and past the bends in the water. She went west and stopped suddenly. A large doe stood lapping water at the edge of the river. […]
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Poolman, Bailey, Short Stories
Jezebel, Part 3
Jezebel walked to the supplies cellar to go over inventory. She made rationing charts for the families in the village, setting aside a little extra for emergencies. There were two fresh deer hanging in the corner, and she saw the wolf hanging next to the older one. The body was turned with its back to […]
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Poolman, Bailey, Short Stories
Jezebel, Part 2
Jezebel hung back as the hunting group went into the trees to find more game. There was no breeze, but the still cold was almost worse than ripping wind. She watched Elijah crawl through a particularly rough patch of brush, saw Jeremiah step lightly along the dead leaves behind the other men of the camp. […]
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Poolman, Bailey, Short Stories
Jezebel, Part 1
The sky was a dusty white through the dead trees. Jezebel came close to a cabin and heard her heart thump. The scent of roasting meat wafted and the door glowed warmly around the edges. She knocked on the door. Elijah answered. “Jez,” he said. “What’re you doing here?” “Hey. I…I was just going around […]
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Girl on Fire: My first real-life fire
[As seen in Creston News Advertiser, August 15, 2013] I have some big news! Monday, I responded and participated in my first-ever, real-life fire. Responding to a call is always an adrenaline rush. I ran in, tossed my sandals off, borrowed a fellow firefighter’s extra pair of socks and jumped in my turnout gear, stuffing […]
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Girl on Fire: I can’t wait for ‘Blackfish’
[As seen in Creston News Advertiser, August 1, 2013] It is hard to describe how excited I am to see the new documentary “Blackfish” in theaters. “Blackfish” is a 2013 documentary that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and focuses on how orcas, large black and white whales also known as killer whales, […]
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Girl on Fire: Keeping up with the news
[As seen in Creston News Advertiser July 18, 2013] After the Color Run and coughing up blue and purple color dust for more than two hours Saturday, my sister and I made it to Carroll to visit family. While we were there, I saw aunts, uncles and cousins I don’t get to see very often. […]
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