Swagger & Ink
Stories that traverse the landscapes of womanhood, aging, and the American West—where grit meets grace.
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- Academia
- Aging Angry
- Amanda Moments
- America
- Anger
- Chavela
- Cruelty
- Death
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- Narrative Inquiry
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Devil Wind
First dry leaves rattle against my window. Then air howls and a low thumping begins.
Icons and Études
Reluctant Stones pried from the earth, moistened by the sweat of artisans …
Floral Intrigue
Don’t give your heart or bed to a tulip.
Runaway
On a dusty path in rattlesnake country. I once felt a bullet breeze past my ear.
Mud Lake
Sometimes Wyoming leaves me speechless.
Road Rage
So I’m driving on the freeway and this lady calls in to the radio talk show.
You Go Away
You go away and the clock ticks louder and slower.
Hers
She came from a northern place—a place with shade …
City Stroll Early
When’s the last time you drifted along lost in the haze of a celadon glow …
Sisterhood
Sometimes, when I'm lonesome, I wonder whether I would have called her . . .
Falling Apart Season
On this late spring day I went to the police station to retrieve my stuff …
We Spend Our Years as a Tale That is Told
Insomnia takes me to interesting places.
Everyone is Singular
Stumbling on the wee hour sidewalk, a sweet gallant punctures my whiskey fog.
Before
Before the rain fell the forest sighed a long exhale.
Why Does the Dugong Cry?
Swirling along in the ever-blue sea she nurses her calf …
Officials Say the Darndest Things!
It's time for Officials Say the Darndest Things! Here are a few to prime the pump.
Persistence of Memory
Thank you all for coming. Mom would have been pleased, but she would have a made a snide joke of it, you know?
Grandma's Buttermilk Cornbread
OK, foodies, here's one that will clog your arteries!
Death, Ownership, and Freedom in America
Peter, Paul and Mary have been on my mind. But I remembered it wrong.
Almond Pear Cream Cheese Tart
Even now the words make my mouth water. The secret is to start with perfectly ripe pears.
“Breathe Deeply, Read Widely.”