When I saw the university logo on the envelope, I knew what was in it. I had heard rumors that the budget crisis might reduce the 12 visiting assistant professor’s department positions to three positions that would be offered only …

My three-year-old daughter picks up a feather on the playground. She holds it up to the back of her head so it juts toward the sky. “Can we play Indian, Mommy?” she asks me with a smile. I miss a …

Today, I turned 40 years old. I hold in my hands the gift I received on my 10th birthday, a white, orange, and gold plastic earring case. And I remember. On that day, I got up, fed the horses, then …

“Well, after looking at these results, I can say that you probably won’t be having any children,” my doctor claimed. I sat there, silently. At that time, I was 29 years old, in a long term relationship that I thought …

My two-year-old daughter looks at me with rain in her face: “Mama, I want to go with you.” I stand, hand on door, my body vibrating with the urgency of time, briefcase shoulder strap caught on the door knob. Keeping …

The first day of my “Themes in American Literature” class began with uncomfortable silence. I felt (though did not see) the collective rolling of 64 pairs of teenage eyes when I announced the theme I had chosen for the course: …