by Alexa Dobson Good evening, friends. My name is Neil DeGrasse Tyson, and I’d like to thank you for joining me for the thirteenth and final episode of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. Over the past twelve weeks, we’ve traveled through both space and time, exploring the depths of space, our own planet and even our minds. We know that the observable universe was born nearly fourteen billion years ago in a fiery explosion, and since then, countless stars and planets have coalesced into galaxies and solar systems not too different from our own. In our little corner of the universe, life has grown and flourished for thousands of millions of…
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Semi-Permeable Membrane
by Gabby Brandner I sat at the oak table, lost in the pattern of the wood and only vaguely aware of my wife’s distant silhouette as she brewed a pot of Seattle’s Best; it was her favorite, but to me, it was just another variation of an ordinary beverage. I heard the scrape of the metal spoon as she shoveled generous teaspoons of coffee into the filter and my mouth was filled with the taste of citrus. All of it brought me zooming back to that awkward post-adolescent idealistic phase, where I drank coffee to play the part of whoever I thought I was and assumed the role of a…
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Among The Trees
by Krista Ruesch Rays of golden sunshine stretch over the tops of snowcapped mountains, across the windswept landscape and the wide expanse of the frozen river, giving the illusion of warmth, even at -20˙F. Deep within the woods, June stands shoulder to shoulder with a young spruce tree, trying to decide what direction to move in next. Her petite and muscular build holds her strong to the earth, yet she carries a subtle air of vulnerability, as if the world could swallow her whole, taking her underground and into an alternate universe, never to be seen again. Dressed in her lined coveralls and most serious pair of Sorel winter boots,…
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Demons
by Tricia Windowmaker Mira had only been in the group for a week. Ever since her diagnosis and failed surgery, she had been struggling with depression, as if cancer hadn’t been disease enough for her. Her psychiatrist, Doctor Lowry, recommended she try the center’s new art therapy program to help boost her mood. She’d never been an artist, but she thought, “Why not?” Better paint and pencils over another pill to swallow. She randomly sketched while the class listened to Bach for inspiration. When the music stopped, and she finally took care to look at her drawing, its contents frightened her. “Could something that dark really come out of me?”…
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Born to Run
by Krista Ruesch Shirtless on my tippy toes, six years old, I stood in profile and stared at the long scar extending from my armpit, reaching around the side of my chest and spreading out across my back. I faced the mirror and the smooth, flat scar stretching down the center of my chest, from the collar bone to the bottom of my rib cage. I turned back and gazed at that mystery scar on the side of my chest and started to feel scared and upset. I started calling my mom, who rushed in the bathroom, sensing the panic and urgency in my small voice. I pointed at the…
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Worthless People – An excerpt from the book (Part 2)
By Tim Wilson (continued) “It will be dark soon,” Dave said. “We should camp and cook these here. Besides, we’re being followed.” “Kulima?” Scott asked, looking at Dave for evidence of concern. “He is not a Kulima,” Dave answered, then shrugged to indicate he was not concerned. They returned to their more comfortable bond of silence. The time for speaking was when the fire had been built and the birds were dressed and cooking. Scott eagerly anticipated the time after a successful hunt. He loved to cook; Dave loved to let him. But telling stories around the evening fire ranked highest for him. Then, his friend Dave really talked. They…
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Worthless People – An excerpt from the book (Part 1)
By Tim Wilson “In the discarded husk of yesterday’s sugarcane, the ant sees a harvest.” African proverb Brad glanced in anticipation at his two friends as they stood at the edge of the African rainforest that would be their home for the next few days. Between the guarded gate of Highland Academy and the forest’s edge, they had divested themselves of all things Western; from here on, they would speak only Swahili, their first language. Highland Academy, the boarding school, provided an American-based education to the children of foreign workers in Africa. Most of the students were in Africa temporarily while their parents, on professional sabbaticals, did relief work; these…
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Maasai Girl– excerpt from my upcoming book, “Crossing Rivers.”
by Tim Wilson Her first mother called her Kiserian because she was a peaceful baby. She would follow her mother, as a young girl, listening carefully as her mother showed her how to check for disease and wounds in the cattle and goats. Together, they would milk the cows. After the milking and inspections, her mother would signal her brothers, who would drive the cattle out of the enclosed manyatta for grazing in the grasslands. She would help her mother set the milk filled gourds in the sun and drop smoldering charcoal in each to maximize the curdling process during the day. She would often sit with her mother on…
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An Honest Man: Prologue
by Thomas Brown An Honest Man is the tale of two down-on-their-luck Alaskans trying to sell a stolen 13th century Arabic philosophical manuscript on the black market in Anchorage. The book is divided into three main parts: 1) the obstacles and dangers facing the Anchorage duo while illegally selling a priceless antique, 2) the philosophical premise and pedigree of the manuscript itself and, 3) the journey of the manuscript through history from 13th century Muslim Spain to 21st century Anchorage. This prologue sets up two major themes of the novel while establishing the historical and philosophical roots of the many historical scenes as well as that of the 13th century…
