Seven writers reveal their roots—from points on the map to places in the heartland.
World’s Longest Vacation | Stacy Appel
Why would a mother abandon her children, and what would make her return? A pre-teen girl mourns her fragmented family, but doesn’t dare put her feelings into words.
Dead Meat | Wichita Sims
Aliens, psychic phenomena, exorcism—it’s all part of the bumper crop of wackiness on the Sims family farm.
Seasoning | Robert Menzimer
Winter weather in the Midwest is harsh, but the dependable pleasure of a favorite T.V. show and a father’s no-nonsense love bring comfort to a young boy.
Before and After | Renee Watkins
A retired professor looks back on a Jewish childhood in Hitler’s Germany.
Mother Tongue | Lucy O’Dwyer
The rules of childrearing don’t always translate from one culture to another, even when all parties speak English.
Dancing with Stars | Richard Schwarzenberger
Shut down, boarded up, rotting in place: no, you can’t go home again, no matter how brightly the stars shine over the prairie.
The Playing Field | Maureen O’Leary
They don’t make ‘em like that anymore, those long, hot summer evenings when neighborhood kids ran wild through the streets, storing up memories for a lifetime.
