Vanessa Brown
Bio
Writer, teacher, and current digital nomad. I have lived in seven countries around the world, five of them with a cat. At forty-nine, my life has become a series of visas whilst trying to find a place to settle and grow roots again.
Stories (56)
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The Fall of the American Empire: History is Doomed to Repeat Itself
History is chock-full of empires: British, Roman, Ottoman, Russian, Spanish, Japanese, Byzantine… the list goes on and on. According to the interwebs, there have been almost two hundred empires throughout human history, some small and localized, some aimed at global domination.
By Vanessa Brown5 months ago in The Swamp
The Competition Fallacy: Conditioning Women to Destroy Each Other
fal·la·cy [noun]: a mistaken belief, especially one based on unsound argument. While there is some debate about the origin of chess, the general consensus dates back to India and chaturanga, a board game depicting a war between two armies. Over the centuries, as the game was adapted between nations, small changes were made to the rules and shapes of the pieces, eventually evolving into the game we know today.
By Vanessa Brown5 months ago in Humans
The Fascist Facebook Regime: Going to Jail and Getting Sprung
I have just been released from jail, Facebook jail that is, and for the moment, I’m free. There is nothing that rings my bell quite like the smell of cowardice. Rattling the cages of the patriarchal elite sends energy through my system like the sweet rush of an adrenaline-fueled adventure.
By Vanessa Brown5 months ago in The Swamp
The Enemy Within: Blaming Immigrants for Government Greed
The word “immigrant” has become a slur, dripping unkindly from tongues across the globe. White people with money who can afford to set up a nice new life in another country choose to call themselves expats, short for expatriates. They seem to feel that this title divorces them from what they truly are - immigrants. The fact that they have privilege and money doesn't change this fact.
By Vanessa Brown6 months ago in Psyche
A Tribute to Rosie O'Donnell, One of the Great Big-Mouth Broads
Rosie’s been on my mind a lot lately. It all started when one of her reels appeared in my YouTube algorithm. I almost didn’t recognize her. She looked a little gaunt and there was a deep sadness about her, a far cry from the larger-than-life brash character I’d seen so many times before on movies and TV shows.
By Vanessa Brown6 months ago in Humans
Memories Of A Flag: The Power Of Symbology
I have been attracted to symbology for as long as I can remember. I pored over World War II books and built model airplanes; Supermarine Spitfires, Gloster Gladiators, and Hawker Tempests were my favourites. I fixated on the decals as I delicately added them to the finished products. The red, white, and blue concentric circles of the Royal Air Force, seemingly emulating a bullseye, interested me almost as much as the aircraft did.
By Vanessa Brown7 months ago in Wander
A Ghetto, A Flood, and A Change Of Attitude
“The Hole,” is what I called it. And it was a hole! To call it an apartment was a bit of a stretch. I guess that’s what you get living in the ghetto. It was all I could afford from my pitiful part-time wage teaching English at one of the language schools in San José, Costa Rica.
By Vanessa Brown8 months ago in Wander
The Insanity of the English Language: Making Our Way Through A Maze Of Linguistic Twists & Turns
I am a writer. I can cajole and tantalize an idea into a climactic explosion, much as I would entice and seduce a lover. The romance I continue to have with my native language is deep and real, her whispers of sweet nothings seducing my fingertips as they dance over my keyboard.
By Vanessa Brown9 months ago in Humor
A Broken Promise, A Sad Kitty, and Deck Chairs In My Living Room
The move to San Antonio, Texas, from Perth, Western Australia didn’t go exactly as planned. Although I had left the Land Down Under on a wish and a prayer with my 16-year-old kitty cat in tow, the promise of a new life had yet to materialize.
By Vanessa Brown9 months ago in Wander
