There are many things that challenge the strength and integrity of a relationship. Anything from stress to the untimely reemergence of an ex can put a strain on an otherwise healthy partnership. Going into a relationship, most people are aware that there will be challenges. I dare say that as a relationship continues to grow…
7 Sayings to Inspire a Happier and Healthier You
Around this time of year we start thinking about New Year’s resolutions: goals we made at the start of 2016, goals we will revisit in 2017. According to both Psychology Today and CNN, achieving better health through weight loss is the number one New Year’s resolution. That says two things: one, health is a major…
Workplace Bullies–What Can You Do?
If you’re breathing then most likely you have been exposed to bullying. As a society, we are all very aware of bullying in schools. When kids face the challenges associated with bullies we encourage them to seek out the help of responsible adults. We talk to our kids about love, acceptance, and tolerance. We tell…
How I Survived: Moving Beyond Bullying at School
Today, people are more apt to refer to bullying as what it is, but I can remember a time when bullying was referred to as “kids being kids” or “growing pains”. Any way you look at it, it’s harmful. I was bullied–often. I was bullied so much that I can’t recall a time in school…
dic tion ary: A Book Review
If you’re like me, the word poetry sums up a few other words. Stuffy. Old. Unapproachable. Tired images of William Shakespeare and memories of classroom recitals assault my mind, and I run to the place where poetry is not. When Sharea Harris released her self-published collection of poems “dic tion ary,” I was surprised to…
Emotional Wellness: The Body, Mind & Spirit Connection
“How are you today?” This simple question typically garners an even simpler response: “I’m well.” But have you ever stopped to think about the weight of that question? Do you answer it honestly, or do you respond methodically and mechanically without giving proper consideration to your actual emotional state at the time? Many people reflect…
Citizen: A Book Review
I was introduced to Claudia Rankine’s Citizen: An American Lyric in an Experimental Forms writing class. We were given an excerpt of Citizen and told to mock the prose/poetry style used by Rankine. I found myself intrigued by poetry that was more than iambic pentameter. I didn’t know poetry could exist or tell a story…
Truth & Beauty: A Book Review
I went 34 years without knowing Ann Patchett. In my defense, I suck at reading all the books I’m supposed to read. When people would ask, “Have you read the latest from Ann Patchett” My answer was always a reluctant, “no.” “Oh, you have to read Truth & Beauty,” they’d say. When I found out…
I Don’t Want to be Your Bridesmaid: A Book Review
“We are all connected through our stories.” That was the answer Adina Ferguson gave when I asked why she was compelled to write creative nonfiction. Three years after that conversation, she released a collection of personal essays titled, I Don’t Want to Be Your Bridesmaid and I got to witness the connection first hand. If…
Plorkology
I am pleased to have a flash fiction piece, “Harriet Bleacher’s List of Folks to Kill” included in Plorkology: Poems, Stories, and Essays. This debut publication by Plork Press also features work by Sharea Harris, Michelle Junot, and D. Watkins and can be purchased
Melissa Brooks-Cuffee 