Julia Schulz
Bio
I enjoy crafting poetry and telling stories. I especially love being in the "zone" when I take a deep dive with my subject matter, developing characters and settings and researching topics like history and sustainable living.
Stories (50)
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Postcards from the Hanging
I was recently doing some background research into the ironically named “Redemption Era” in the United States when all the rights won by African-Americans in the post-Civil War Reconstruction Era were systematically stripped away. I was rather distressed to see the language of the Church..”Redemption”... used to describe something so truly alien to anyone’s concept of compassion or God’s Kingdom.
By Julia Schulz5 years ago in Criminal
Snapshots of a Life
As a child, I often went to my bedroom at the end of the hall and heard the pounding of typewriter keys in the kitchen or dining room into the late-night hours. I had four siblings, and my mother was the last of the stay-at-home generation of Moms but worked for a small, local New Jersey newspaper, reporting on local town council meetings in the evenings, after my father returned from work, and writing a weekly column. (She did not work a daytime job until I was in middle school.) The clickety-clack of that typewriter meant a number of things to me.
By Julia Schulz5 years ago in Families
Happy Birthday, Jacques Cousteau
The year was 2018. I was still cleaning out the townhouse after my mother passed away, readying it for sale. A challenge was proposed in a conservationist page that I followed: Do something in honor of the late Jacques Cousteau's 108th birthday.
By Julia Schulz5 years ago in Earth
Wilma
I wrote this poem a number of years ago for a lady I never met in person but with whom I corresponded and communicated. I was in awe of her work with Greenpeace and other organizations advocating for human rights and better environmental stewardship. For her privacy, I have only included images from Unsplash and no real photos of her.
By Julia Schulz5 years ago in Poets
My Lifetime Love Affair With Cotton
When I'm asked what items of clothing I'd like to see come back in fashion, I'd easily say all-cotton baggy, comfortable jeans and cargo pants for women with lots of big pockets... and maybe 100% cotton over-sized t-shirts, not too high on the neckline but not so low that my bra is exposed.
By Julia Schulz5 years ago in Earth
How to Be Embarrassed Daily And Never Regret It
Note: Names have been changed to protect the guilty and innocent alike. If you asked me about my most embarrassing moment, I initially might consider my first and only attempt at repelling in which I accidentally flipped upside down and caught the back pocket of my jeans on a rock, causing them to begin ripping in front of my fellow college service trip participants. However, I think my tales of frequent mild, social faux pas (or death by a thousand cuts) at the hands of my former clients with intellectual disabilities are much more interesting....and, strangely enough, these incidents made me cherish my job all the more.
By Julia Schulz5 years ago in Humans
Where Everybody Knows Your Name (and Soft Drink Preference)
Before the advent of the internet, I remember the days of travelling with my parents and the Mobile Travel Guide. My Mom would peruse the latest volume, circling the motels and restaurants with the most stars for our stop-overs and vacation destinations. There were symbols indicating the price range and wheelchair accessibility. As life went on, I found myself working for over 20 years in a day program for adults with intellectual and physical disabilities. At the same time, my mother became increasingly physically disabled and needed my help with daily activities and leaving the house. Taking her out in her wheelchair was a major endeavor as I packed her pill boxes, flexible straws, Lifesavers for her chronic dry mouth, tissues, plastic bags in case her catheter bag leaked...even a hammer in the event that her footrest fell apart! We recalled those Mobile Travel Guides and joked about making money compiling reviews of accessible businesses and restrooms. We would give gold stars to “good” bathrooms and “handicap friendly” environments.
By Julia Schulz5 years ago in Feast
It's Okay ...I'll Take the Bus
As someone who frequently drove cars that were more than 20 years old, had limited funds, and disliked driving on crowded East Coast highways, I've frequently taken buses or splurged on trains from Harrisburg (PA) to Philly or Williamsport (PA), New York to Boston, and down to Dover (MD) and DC. Many trips were to visit old friends. Then there was the bus trip back to my native New Jersey to visit my dying father, and the time I suddenly and uncharacteristically hopped a train to DC to meet a New Zealand Conservationist I'd been following on social media. Despite my high anxiety about missing connections, public transportation just made sense, with the added benefit of taking one extra car off the road.
By Julia Schulz5 years ago in Wander
Zoom at Full Moon With the Girl Next Door
Alex never was quite sure when the infatuation began. He was chatting with someone named The Herb Faery on the local neighborhood Facebook page and noticed how her kind, wise, and witty comments sometimes diffused the frequent squabbling over barking dogs, limited parking places, and such petty disputes. Then he found himself eyeballing her profile and sending a friend request. There was no photo of her but a Victorian illustration of a lovely dark-haired faery in a flower garden.
By Julia Schulz5 years ago in Humans
