I wanted to be as pristine and delicate as my things. I wouldn’t have ever described myself as delicate, but a connoisseur of the delicate. Everywhere I went I sought out the gentle flap of a butterfly's...

“We all want to believe we’re exceptional — whether it’s in health, sports, academics — and very few of us actually are.” — High school English teacher The classroom bristles; they (wealthy,...

My Papa is someone whom you would recognize right away if you vaguely knew what he looked like. He is a tall and lanky man who always has thick frames positioned high on his nose. Often, a silly grin is...

“My name is Janna. Like Janna Banana,” I announced, fidgeting nervously, to my classmates on the first day of fifth grade in suburban Alabama. I braced myself for impact. Maybe today, I could get past...

I chose to ignore the signs that I was an alcoholic until I returned home from a three-year tour in South Korea. My drinking was steadily ramping up, and it was common to kill a six-pack after work each...

Courtney Sheridan has lost her voice. She spent her Saturday afternoon shouting orders over the din of thousands of rowdy students, screaming up the stands to command hundreds of young adults.  “We...