With an MA in Soviet Studies and a Ph.D. in Slavic languages and literature, Rachel Mann, who has fought for sovereignty in her personal life, brings a unique perspective to the brutal Russian war of conquest raging in Ukraine.
Fortuitous Failure
An unexpected change in travel plans sent Terry Huntington off on an unforgettable cargo ship voyage from Canada to Australia, including a raging Atlantic storm, wild nights ashore, passage through the Panama Canal, and a mid-ocean engine failure without a speck of land in sight.
I NEVER Go to Tourist Attractions
It can be tempting to avoid popular tourism attractions when we travel. And yet, as Elyn Aviva shares in this essay, with the right intention and an open mind, it’s still possible to experience the magic that made a place special in the first place.
Into the Jungle
A visit to Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, a cultural and natural UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, takes Carolyn Handler Miller deep into the Maya jungle where she discovers a vibrant ancient culture living intimately with their environment.
Miracles at Our Lady of Peninha
When a fear of heights threatens to derail Elyn Aviva from reaching the Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora da Peninha, a place of miracles situated atop a rocky coastal outcrop in Portugal, a stranger appears to help, again and again, at precisely the moments assistance is needed most.
Infrastructure Less Taken
A road trip across the Philippines via winding mountain roads and ferry crossings en route to a family reunion gets expat B.J. Stolbov thinking about President Rodrigo Duterte’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ infrastructure projects designed to promote the flow of goods, investment, and people. And inspires the question: Who will benefit?
Can you go home again?
Thomas Wolfe once said: “You can’t go home again.” Was he right? Carolyn Handler-Miller wouldn’t know until she tried. She was determined to find out.
The Magician
As a thank you to a tech support ‘genius’, author Nancy King wanted to do something for the man who’d done what four other tech people said couldn’t be done. "If you have time," she said, " I’d like to tell you a story about a Peruvian child who filled my heart with love…"
Dead Men Talking
Last spring, three young men - ancestors of hers - drifted into Maureen Magee’s head and took up residence, insisting that she pay attention to them. And because she is a writer, she decided to write about them - a book, a story? What followed was a journey, and a conclusion, she couldn’t have imagined.
Starstruck
This is the story of native New Yorker Cliff Simon, who goes to New Mexico and experiences, for the first time, the magic of the Milky Way in an entirely Steven Spielberg moment.
An Unexpected 85th Birthday Gift
When a challenging, off-trail hike puts Nancy King’s apprehensions about aging and her physical abilities to the test, she comes out feeling strong and elated.
What Is It Like to Drive Cross-Country Right Now?
As the Delta variant began circulating widely in the U.S., Suzanne LaFlamme, her husband, and adult daughter decided to cancel flights and drive cross-country for a family visit. When they prepared for the trip, it was Covid’s partisan divide and widespread differences in mask wearing that concerned them as much as covid safety and choosing where to stay along the way.
You Mattered
In this essay, hospice worker Sheila Barnes recounts her journey with James, an AIDS patient, during his final days of life, and all she does to convey that even in illness, his life is honored.
My “Breakthrough” Journey with COVID
Seventy-year-old Richard Rossner was fully vaccinated when he went to a Los Angeles club to hear his son’s band play. He was careful to social distance and didn’t think he was vulnerable. That was Tuesday night; by Saturday morning, he couldn’t get out of bed. It was Covid. Then his wife, who was also vaccinated, got it. Now that they no longer test positive, they are grateful, but the after-effects leave Richard tired and cautious.
Chasing the Dragon
Richard Collins traveled to the Brecon Beacons, a mountain range in South Wales not far from where he grew up. Despite spending his childhood there, he’d never felt Welsh until he left Wales. But living in different countries had inspired a retroactive yearning to connect with his heritage. So he returned, determined to chase that dragon. It didn’t go easy.
Do You Know Any Immigrants?
Have you spoken to any immigrants or refugees lately? In this essay, executive editor Judith Fein encourages you to reach out, if you haven’t already, and shares how your heart will be opened by the contact.
For Whom the Bell Tolls
A personal tour of the Monastery of Santa Maria Scala Coeli, the Cartuxa de Évora, provides a rare opportunity for Elyn Aviva to discover, and share, a place of great spiritual and cultural significance, unique in Portugal.
Finding the Perfect Light
When Cliff Simon’s cherished vintage lamp is damaged, his distress leads him to the Japanese art of Kintsugi and the point of view that something can break and still be beautiful, and that, once repaired, it is stronger at the broken places.
Breathe in, Breathe Out — An Expat Adapts
Acquisition and release are a necessary part of moving. For Elyn Aviva, who, together with her husband Gary, has relocated from Iowa to Colorado. Colorado to New Mexico. New Mexico to Spain. Spain to Arizona. and now from Arizona to Portugal, the process of adaption has become an exercise akin to breathing: Breathe in, expand, acquire. Breathe out, contract, detach, release.
Rosebud is Not Just a Sled
In the film Citizen Kane, the viewer learns that the murmured word on his deathbed: “Rosebud” relates to Kane’s last moments of childhood innocence and happiness. Inspired by this flashback effect of memory, in this essay, Cliff Simon investigates the memories he might recall at the very end of his life. What will be that most important thing, moment, person, event of his life?