I stood at the window on Easter, watching the chickadees in last fall’s garden, when my great-grandmother suggested that I choose a book to take outside and read on the grass. As she filled my arms with a yellow print bedspread to sit on, I grabbed a pen. Gramma handed me a small, old book […]

My father always said, “Dreams go to die in Calais.” But I wanted a fresh start, and saw it as a place I could find my footing. In January, I started working at my step-grandmother’s diner. My father’s mother died when he was young, and Karen entered the picture far before I was born. Since […]