Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Men.
"Nothing But Fear..." - A Mechanic's Misguided Design. Content Warning.
The way I see my family now is very different from how I viewed them all just a few years ago, before my identity crisis began. Perhaps the one that hurts the most to realize didn't have my best interests at heart is my dad. It was somewhat expected with my mother, and my relationship with my (half-)sister has always been a detached, one-and-done type of failure, so those are easier to accept.
By Megan Baker (Left Vocal in 2023)3 years ago in Men
The Last Bright Spot in My Life
Blink, blink. The cursor flashes as I stare at a blank screen of an essay I don’t want to write. Here I am, only hours away from a looming deadline, and panic sets in with every minute that ticks by. Still the words come about as easily as pulling teeth. Even that’s a generous comparison! When you have a tooth pulled, the pain lasts for a day or two, and then you don’t have to worry about feeling that kind of pain again.
By Morgan Rhianna Bland3 years ago in Men
My Dad is Not Superman
For three consecutive years (from third grade to fifth grade), I won a Father's Day essay contest that was hosted by my school district. At 25 years old now I don't really remember the specifics of what I wrote in any of those essays, but if I had to guess, I probably made my dad sound like some superhero in a comic book. Because for much of my life, that was how I saw him.
By C.R. Hughes3 years ago in Men
A Most Unconventional Guru. Content Warning.
Some would say he is a man with no hope, others may turn and walk away when they see him in the street. Many still harbour fond memories of a friend they once knew, a friend that fought life’s most difficult battles and yet could not fight the desire to be numbed from it all. A man that was lost to those who loved him most, in efforts to escape himself. Although the tone of this essay may seem a little grim, please do not take it as a story of despair and delusion. My father is much more than that. He is a man of many mistakes, yet not one of them passed by without its lessons. Lessons, that he was sure to pass on to his children. He showed us what it means to be human, by walking the hard path one bare foot at a time, pulling each piece of glass and stone out of his soles, and showing us the scars left behind. I watch as others walk the same path, yet out of shame, they keep their bloody soles hidden. The fact of the matter is, the reason my dad’s lessons sunk in so deep, is because of the blunt force reality of their execution. No lesson was sugar coated, most of the time they were excruciating to learn, yet you could always rely on them being centred in absolute truth. I believe there is not enough of that in our world today. Truth seems to always be hidden in shame, and as a result we are all living in distorted, false realities. What a rare and valuable teacher I had, to have taught me to see this life for what it really is.
By Cenedra Hogan3 years ago in Men
I Am My Father's Daughter
1. My Dad was a Master Storyteller No one could tell a story like my Dad. But I’m going to do my best to give two of his favorites a try. The all-time classic was the story of a fateful hunting trip with his Uncle Ray and his tote-goat. I sat in many parties and heard him tell the tale many times throughout my life. The recounting was always the same and always resulted in a room full of side-splitting laughter. First, Dad would set the story up. Uncle Ray loaded the buck they had got onto the back of the tote-goat to pack it down from the mountain. He jumped on the front and revved the engine. The front of the tote-goat popped up into the air making Uncle Ray slide down to the back. At this point Dad began acting the story as much as he told it. Raising his hands over his head, Dad would show how he tried to pull down the front of the tote-goat followed by miming Uncle Ray's reaction. "I pulled down on the handlebars and Ray went no-no-no-no." Dad would then jump into the air as though being shocked by a cattle prod. He went on repeating the actions until everyone was laughing so hard they couldn't breathe, “I kept pulling down on the handlebars and Ray kept yelling 'no-no-no-no.' I'd let go, the front tire would go jump back up so, I'd pull down again and Ray would yell 'no-no-no-no.'. Finally, I stopped and we realized when the front tire had jumped up, Ray had slid backwards and the tine of the buck had gone straight up his butt!" Apparently, Uncle Ray never went hunting again after that. But no worries, there were other epic stories.
By A. J. Schoenfeld3 years ago in Men
Fathers are overrated
I am the product of a once angry man. I am 36 years old and still harbor a grudge over my father’s frustration at life. If I could sum up him up in one word it would be: provocable. It didn’t take a lot to stir up his fragile emotions and get him riled up enough to yell at me and my 4 sisters. Including my mother, there were 6 women against 1 man where the man dictated everything.
By Anna Torres3 years ago in Men
I Can Drive A Truck
The young man stands in front of his parents. His mother looks proud and his father relaxed and expectant. The young man wears a cap and gown and clutches his diploma in his hand. How proud they must be of their college graduate. This is the image in a cartoon my father cut out of one of his medical journals and gave to me. The caption is the young man saying “Now can I be a cowboy?” My dad understood.
By Traci E. Langston3 years ago in Men
Daddy was a criminal
Daddy never went to jail. When the cops finally came for him, he was dying of lung cancer. Clearly terminal, they didn’t drag him to jail for embezzlement. He told me that he only kept money that was owed to him, but I’ll never know the truth. Daddy took his secrets to the grave.
By Joyce O’Day3 years ago in Men
My Three Dads
With Father's Day being right behind us. I am reminded of the three men that made a huge impact of who I am. I am honored to have three incredible men that I called Dad. Although they are gone now, I still feel them with me. I know that as I go through life, they are looking after me. This is for them.
By Judith Jascha3 years ago in Men
A Father By My Name
J – Jennifer Juniper I’m named after the song by Donovan, Jennifer Juniper, that came out the year I was born---a testament to the symbiotic relationship my father had with music. It started at twelve when he earned a drum set by cleaning out the coal furnace in the basement, then formed a band. The neighborhood kids eagerly bought tickets to their lawn concerts.
By Jennifer Juniper3 years ago in Men
