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Community Writes Continued

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Racy Red Ridge–Kelly Jacobsen

Racy Red Ridge–Kelly Jacobsen

Community Writes January 31, 2023
Poetry: Silky smooth Slipping slowly Covertly covering Scar tissue hot red On delicate alabaster skin blood against snow Fiery crimson lingerie Definitely deceptive Rough ridges rise Revealing the ruse No
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Life and Death–Georgianna Marie

Life and Death–Georgianna Marie

Community Writes January 31, 2023
Memoir: My son took his first breath. “It’s a boy!” the doctor and nurses shouted, laughing and smiling. They handed his premature, wriggling body to me. “Hello there,” I said,
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Blood Red–Jennifer Nightingale

Blood Red–Jennifer Nightingale

Community Writes January 19, 2023
Poetry: They waited in line at the Dollar Store He bought a red balloon made of mylar. It was blood red and shiny, filled it with helium and tied it
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Ode to My Husband’s Hearing Aids–Claire Weiner

Ode to My Husband’s Hearing Aids–Claire Weiner

Community Writes December 11, 2022
Poetry: Sorcerer of sound, Eros whose arrow points directly into my beloved’s ears, I adore you. Minuscule, featherweight, miracle! You rest so lightly on the flesh of ear canals, transmit sound
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The Have Nots–Sue McGrath

The Have Nots–Sue McGrath

Community Writes December 11, 2022
Memoir: “Is someone knocking at the door?” I asked. Bob and Max considered the sound. “Yes, I think so,” they agreed. Max surreptitiously walked to the door. Through the vertical
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Dementia as a Blessing–Karen West

Dementia as a Blessing–Karen West

Community Writes December 6, 2022
Memoir: Nothing surprises me anymore when I visit Dad at the nursing home. One day he was sitting in the lobby in his wheelchair wearing skimpy lime green track shorts
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Joie de Vivre–Corinne Hughes

Joie de Vivre–Corinne Hughes

Community Writes December 2, 2022
Memoir: I’m smiling from ear to ear when I decide to move to a tiny town in eastern Washington with my abusive partner, away from my family and everyone I
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The List–Georgianna Marie

The List–Georgianna Marie

Community Writes December 2, 2022
Memoir: I’d been divorced twice and had a child out of wedlock. I was in no mood for marriage. I did want to date, though. I fantasized I’d meet a
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Gratitude Unchained–Jim Stewart

Gratitude Unchained–Jim Stewart

Community Writes November 15, 2022
Nonfiction: Ah, gratitude: a simple way to honor the place in which you find yourself; an emotion that encompasses the breadth of a life and lights the sometimes stony path
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Gratefully Grieving–Kelly Jacobsen

Gratefully Grieving–Kelly Jacobsen

Community Writes November 15, 2022
Poetry: Hiking along rugged, tree-lined trails Deep sobs emerge from hidden woods. A scent of gratitude fills the frosty air. There is peace in surrendering to sadness. Fighting against the
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Song of Gratitude–Margaret Chula

Song of Gratitude–Margaret Chula

Community Writes November 15, 2022
Poetry: Love the Kamo River, its waters turned blue from rinsing the indigo dyes of kimonos. Love the hummingbirds. Love the koi who swim like kings even though, without their
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Encore–Georgianna Marie

Encore–Georgianna Marie

Community Writes October 18, 2022
Memoir: We hadn’t performed together in over 35 years. Yet here we were, about to go onstage in front of nearly 100 people. The 1979 Encina High School Madrigal Choir
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Falcon Cove–Georgianna Marie

Falcon Cove–Georgianna Marie

Community Writes September 8, 2022
Memoir: We had planned to go to Europe that summer. Then a pandemic happened. Unable to fly overseas, my husband and I strategized: How would we escape the stifling Arizona
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The Stranger–Georgianna Marie

The Stranger–Georgianna Marie

Community Writes September 7, 2022
Essay: One summer vacation, a stranger appeared at my family’s front door. It was 1960, the year before I was born, so I wasn’t there to see the puzzled look
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Recipe for Camping–Karen LaGrave Small

Recipe for Camping–Karen LaGrave Small

Community Writes August 29, 2022
Recipe for Camping: Fiction Have fun camping! Living off grid, no cell service, no heat, no fluffy bed, no teddybear. What to take? Not much. Leave your house. Bring your
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Dream Vacation–Stevie Stephens Burden

Dream Vacation–Stevie Stephens Burden

Community Writes July 23, 2022
Prose Poem: Tourists, jammed into their cars, RVs and our streets, wander, looking for the perfect experiences to capture the construction of unforgettable moments. Spending hard earned time and money
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The Nutty Vacation–Ellis Conklin

The Nutty Vacation–Ellis Conklin

Community Writes July 17, 2022
Fiction: On the night before we set off for the Russian River, my sister had a nervous breakdown. She was young then, a thin, nice-looking girl of seventeen, and had
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Dog Days–Andy Barker

Dog Days–Andy Barker

Community Writes April 6, 2022
Fiction: Day One We canines live in the present; if something impacts us, it remains in every moment of our lives. Such is my first day at the beach. The
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Always the Wind–Julie Young

Always the Wind–Julie Young

Community Writes March 25, 2022
Memoir: “This infernal wind!” Mother complains between her teeth. She shakes her head, her entire face a frown as she looks out the kitchen window at tall grasses lying flat,
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Joni’s Wind–Ellis Conklin

Joni’s Wind–Ellis Conklin

Community Writes March 25, 2022
–after Joni Mitchell’s Carey The wind swept up from Rockaway Last night I couldn’t sleep Oh, you know it sure is hard to leave here, Mary But it’s really not
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Trailblazers–Tom Lackaff

Trailblazers–Tom Lackaff

Community Writes March 25, 2022
Play Excerpt: (EXT: WHITE HOUSE, JANUARY 1803 – EARLY MORNING. On the muddy street, a PAPERBOY hawks his wares.) PAPERBOY Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Napoleon blocks Americans from
Read more
Rain Pants–Cyndi Stuart

Rain Pants–Cyndi Stuart

Community Writes February 17, 2022
Essay: Overhead is a beautiful blue sky.  I can feel the sunshine warm my back.  I think about reaching up to take off my snug fleece stocking cap but decide
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John F. Kennedy–Ellis Conklin

John F. Kennedy–Ellis Conklin

Community Writes February 9, 2022
Essay: All of us know where we were and what we were doing upon learning that John Kennedy’s life was severed in that glaring Friday noontime in Dallas. That moment
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Chance of Rain–Tom Lackaff

Chance of Rain–Tom Lackaff

Community Writes February 1, 2022
Fiction: The rain poured down with a relentless vigor, an elemental force that had always been there and seemingly always would be. Fortunately, I experienced only its sound as it
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Rain Dance–Katja Biesanz

Rain Dance–Katja Biesanz

Community Writes January 29, 2022
Fiction: Everyone else was in the hangar, playing cards while waiting for a break in the clouds. Therese sat on the straw bale under the eaves of the office/bunkhouse. Drops
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Incoming Storm–Neal Lemery

Incoming Storm–Neal Lemery

Community Writes January 25, 2022
Essay: The next storm is somewhere out there, just waiting for its time to move onshore, disrupting my life, making me aware, once again, that life happens despite of what
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How to Survive a Storm–Barry Paul

How to Survive a Storm–Barry Paul

Community Writes January 15, 2022
Poetry: Stand strong in the rain for fear falls on us all. It drips and pools, tickling uncomfortably down the spine, exploring each gap in our defenses, before trickling to
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Backfire–Mark Scott Smith

Backfire–Mark Scott Smith

Community Writes January 12, 2022
Poetry: Backfire on the mountain Brake lights glowing red Tires whirring in the rain cast silver beads of water across the misty highway Hank Williams on the radio A Lucky
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Weather–Marcia Silver

Weather–Marcia Silver

Community Writes January 12, 2022
Poetry: A powerful storm . . . will sweep through the Northwest  today with locally heavy rain, possibly excessive. NOAA National Weather Service Website Paint your walls the color of
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Rain, Rain, Go Away–Ellis Conklin

Rain, Rain, Go Away–Ellis Conklin

Community Writes January 3, 2022
Fiction: As it happened, I was passing through Rainy Springs, Oregon, that rain-swept evening when I met a peculiar woman named Lola. It was late October and I hadn’t seen
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The Colors of Childhood–Megan Lucas

The Colors of Childhood–Megan Lucas

Community Writes November 2, 2021
Memoir: I attended Irvington grade school in Portland in the 80’s, and we lived nearby on the cobbly Tillamook Street. It was lined with Chestnut trees; in the fall I’d
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Why There is no Brown in the Rainbow–Lynn B. Connor

Why There is no Brown in the Rainbow–Lynn B. Connor

Community Writes November 2, 2021
Fiction: The Sun chased the Clouds from the sky. “The earth below needs my rays to warm the days and make things grow. I should rule the sky,” said the
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Synesthesia–Iris Sullivan Daire

Synesthesia–Iris Sullivan Daire

Community Writes November 2, 2021
Memoir: Color has had a hold on her for as long as can be remembered. From a young age it was noted that she often changed clothes several times a
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Season’s Greetings–Tom Lackaff

Season’s Greetings–Tom Lackaff

Community Writes November 2, 2021
Oh spring, I pray you will endure Another ode to your allure; Still shadows harbor ice and snow, But loyalists to winter show Their colors when the heat is on,
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My History of Wall Paint–Kathie Hightower

My History of Wall Paint–Kathie Hightower

Community Writes November 2, 2021
Memoir: I grew up with white walls. And I wonder now, didn’t everyone back in the 1950’s and 1960’s and 1970’s? Or was it because we lived in government housing,
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Blue Heart-Andy Barker

Blue Heart-Andy Barker

Community Writes September 28, 2021
Fiction: Lucius is unmoored, unanchored, untethered. Nothing holding him to his life where it should be. He lies awake, alone in the dark. There’s that time, sailing with the kids
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The Blue Door-Ellis Conklin

The Blue Door-Ellis Conklin

Community Writes September 23, 2021
Memoir: A couple of newspaper reporters talking, Seattle, 1994. It’s June. They’re sharing a small table by the coffee pot in the corner of the newsroom. A lemon-iced sheet cake
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Three Summers-TheresAnn Bosserman

Three Summers-TheresAnn Bosserman

Community Writes July 16, 2021
Memoir: Roses The light that evening slanted across the porch through the white sun blinds and between the posts of the gray porch railing in golden streams. The rare roses
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Mr. Hobo Risin’-Tom Lackaff

Mr. Hobo Risin’-Tom Lackaff

Community Writes July 16, 2021
Memoir: The first time you jump on a moving train, it feels like flying. Many of the elements of flight are there: steady forward motion, exhilarating wind in your face,
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59 Days, 21 States-Laura E. Bailey

59 Days, 21 States-Laura E. Bailey

Community Writes July 15, 2021
Memoir: There is a logic, a rhythm, to a well-executed road trip.  I’ve been planning this one for years, a manila folder the repository of scraps of paper with scribbled
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Along the Way-Gary Albright

Along the Way-Gary Albright

Community Writes July 12, 2021
Memoir:  Jim and I had been canoeing through Canada for years and, in fact, Jim had been doing so since he was a child.  Every trip to Canada was precious,
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Summertime-Gail B. Frank

Summertime-Gail B. Frank

Community Writes July 9, 2021
Essay: Summertime and the livin’ is easy. So the song from Porgy and Bess goes. Even though most of us, like school kids, consider those bookends of Memorial Day and
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Heaven, Take Note-Ellis Conklin

Heaven, Take Note-Ellis Conklin

Community Writes July 5, 2021
Fiction: On the afternoon of June 29, 2051, Ted Falconer, director of the Pearl Sector Homeless Pavilion for the city of Portlandia, stood atop Neakahnie Mountain and stared down on
Read more
All You Need is Glove-Tom Lackaff

All You Need is Glove-Tom Lackaff

Community Writes April 16, 2021
Memoir: I was not an athletic kid by any 7th inning stretch of the imagination. As an only child, I lacked the opportunity to compete in the physical arena on a
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Two Religions-Lorraine Ortiz

Two Religions-Lorraine Ortiz

Community Writes April 12, 2021
Memoir: There were two religions in my family, Catholicism and baseball.  My Dad was a life-long fanatic of both. Devotion like his came from a deep indoctrination in faith.  Faith
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The Ballgame-Julie Young

The Ballgame-Julie Young

Community Writes April 10, 2021
Memoir:  My father played baseball once a year. No glove, no cleats, no practice, but a deep affection for family. On a grassy field he played with brothers, cousins, and
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The Catcher-Marc Johnson

The Catcher-Marc Johnson

Community Writes April 10, 2021
Essay: He is the only one of nine who sees all the game facing forward. If the object is to get home, that is where he plays. He goes by
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Grand Slam-Vera Wildauer

Grand Slam-Vera Wildauer

Community Writes April 8, 2021
Memoir:  I was a rather oblivious mom when it came to my son’s sports events. Especially when it came to Little League. Mainly it was because both the practices and
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Crazed Baseball Moms-Karen West

Crazed Baseball Moms-Karen West

Community Writes April 8, 2021
Memoir:  You know the type. That overbearing baseball mom who shouts through the fence: are you kidding me? when the umpire calls strike three on her precious boy. Or the
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Shea Metski-Robert Liebler

Shea Metski-Robert Liebler

Community Writes April 1, 2021
Fiction: Chapter 1 Twice upon two times, magic would dramatically alter the fortunes of baseball’s New York Mets. First, there was 1969. The Mets phoenixed from last place to win
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The Longest Out-Dan Haag

The Longest Out-Dan Haag

Community Writes March 31, 2021
Nonfiction:  I love baseball. It offers a sense of order in an often chaotic, messy world. There is poetry in its movements and strategy. Unlike other sports, where the main
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America’s Sport-Laura Bailey

America’s Sport-Laura Bailey

Community Writes March 29, 2021
Nonfiction:  I’m not a nationalist, but I’ll accept the label of patriot.  I get teary as somebody (not me) hits the high note in the Star Spangled Banner. During our
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Parallel Universe–Leigh Arevalo

Parallel Universe–Leigh Arevalo

Community Writes March 17, 2021
Fiction: “NOBLAAAAAWWWCK!!!” The obnoxious yell whizzed past her right ear toward the baseball diamond. What did he say? He sounded like the duck from the AFLAC commercials. “NOBLAAAWWWCK!” Yes. Definitely
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Bye Bye, Baby!–Ellis Conklin

Bye Bye, Baby!–Ellis Conklin

Community Writes March 5, 2021
Fiction:  “Now listen fellas, you gotta be pretty lousy to lose a hundred games. You gotta really stink up the joint, and that’s what we did. We stunk up the
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Butterflies–Karen West

Butterflies–Karen West

Community Writes January 11, 2021
Nonfiction: Like a nervous teenager about to meet her high school crush, I checked my makeup for the third time, popped an Altoid and anxiously paced the restaurant lobby. My
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A New House–Lynn Steinberg

A New House–Lynn Steinberg

Community Writes January 11, 2021
Fiction: Sylvie was in love with her adopted home of Seattle – with the moody, gray skies, the rain, the emerald green landscape. She loved the hum of the city,
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When Will You Have This Much Time?–Kathie Hightower

When Will You Have This Much Time?–Kathie Hightower

Community Writes January 8, 2021
Fiction: The scene in front of me looks like Judy Woodruff’s PBS News Hour home office. Bookcase behind her, carefully curated, in my sister’s case arranged by color. I watch
Read more
Rumbling Rambles–Jim Stewart

Rumbling Rambles–Jim Stewart

Community Writes January 8, 2021
Nonfiction: I can sit on my motorcycle, rumbling down Coast Highway 101, following my front tire to Seaside. As long as there is road, sometimes it isn’t possible to discover
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Retirement Blues–Robert “Butch” Freedman

Retirement Blues–Robert “Butch” Freedman

Community Writes January 8, 2021
Nonfiction: Retirement is a tricky business. It can even be downright uncomfortable. I’m still trying to figure it out. I know what you’re thinking: What’s to figure out, buddy. All
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Starting Over–Cate Gable

Starting Over–Cate Gable

Community Writes January 5, 2021
Nonfiction: In my seventh decade I’m starting over. I come from four generations (perhaps more—one can see only so far into the dim past) of keepers. There are boxes filling
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What the Cat Knows–Andy Barker

What the Cat Knows–Andy Barker

Community Writes December 31, 2020
Fiction: I pick up Frankie’s glass and gulp down the remaining Prosecco. I mean, why waste it? There must have been something else besides the shoes that set her off.
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Shoot the Moon-Ellis Conklin

Shoot the Moon-Ellis Conklin

Community Writes December 21, 2020
Fiction: Jack Brooks was in his kitchen with his cat Bandito when he heard the mailman clattering up the steps of the Alice Arms Apartments. Jack was making dumplings from
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All the Time in the World–Laura Bailey

All the Time in the World–Laura Bailey

Community Writes December 10, 2020
Nonfiction: I always knew I’d stand on this deck, look out over those boats, smell that sea. I’d seen it in every possible season, although only in my mind.  Snow
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