Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Wander.
The Capital of Silicon Valley
San José is the warmth of the golden sun, high in the bright blue sky. It is the striking green of the rolling hills surrounding the valley I call home. It is the Palm trees that line the boulevards and avenues. It is a hub of transportation, and a crossroads of sorts. Only a 45 minute drive from foggy San Francisco on the scenic 101, or a train ride away from the ocean.
By Cindy Escamilla 5 years ago in Wander
Best Places to Live in California
You don’t have to listen to very many songs to hear an artist sing about Beverly Hills, Malibu, or San Francisco. California is the most sung-about state in the United States and for good reason. California has so many things that draw people in. Nice weather, beautiful beaches, great cities, plenty of adventures, the pacific coast highway, fantastic food, the list could go on. That being said, others will tell you to be careful what you’re getting yourself into with a move to California. Things such as the tax rate, natural disasters, crime rate, traffic, and expensive housing are red flags. If you are on the fence about moving to California, we will tell you the best places to live in the golden state.
By Chris Davenforth5 years ago in Wander
Northville
My introduction to the town next door- Just 10 minutes from the town where I grew up is the city of Northville. I’d often go visit my friend Susan who lived there for many years. On one such occasion I went into the downtown area and saw the latest children’s theatre production announced on display on Northville’s historic 100-year-old "Marquis Theatre" that said; “Alice In Wonderland.” As a photographer I immediately had an idea. I would ask Susan to drive my car with her dog Maggie in the front seats while I took some wide shots as we travelled around the block several times. I was picturing the two of them in my little car driving into a magical place which I would emphasize and highlight by hand-painting the town, complete with the “Alice & Wonderland ” signage while keeping the vehicle black & white in the final print. Susan drove around the block about 5 times while I stood in the back seat holding the roll bar so I wouldn't fall, as I clicked away grabbing the shot I was visualizing in my mind. At one point, Maggie moved her paw into the foreground near the gear shift. Through my lens it looked as if she was co-piloting the vehicle! That’s when I knew I had my shot. I titled the photo “Follow My Bliss,” a favorite quote of mine from the late author Joseph Campbell.
By Kathleen Thompson5 years ago in Wander
There’s No Place Like Home.
To know Brunswick, Georgia is to be from Brunswick, Georgia as it is generally nothing to write home about. Perched on the beautiful coast of the state, it’s an hour south of its rather famous (and for good reason) neighboring city, Savannah. Although some may have heard of St. Simons Island, Jekyll Island, or Sea Island, Brunswick is usually left out, often treated as the red-headed step child of the Golden Isles. We share a county, a government, schools, and resources, but the the difference between the mainland and the islands is impossible to ignore.
By Whitney Morgan5 years ago in Wander
The Sahara
The blazing sun evaporates all water in sight. No sign of life has been seen for hours. His feet vibrate with every step; his blue eyes surrounded by dirt, fair skin turning red, brown hair peeking from a button down shirt wrapped around his head. Not knowing where he is going or why; he slows his pace walking up to an old abandoned boat. Halfway buried in sand, he finds his way in.
By Dominique Taylor5 years ago in Wander
Hometown Magic
Usually peace and tranquillity wrap their arms around the fringes of my childhood stomping ground. This is a place I climbed the rocks as a child at the edge of the Allendale Neighborhood. We would climb the cliffs to the Lake Michigan below, knowing that if our parents knew they would worry about us being swept away by the unrelenting waters. Many have drown in these turbulent tides. Today the water is calm, but back in August 2020, that silence was shattered by seven bullets. Seven bullets unloaded into the back of a black man at the hands of police. Seven bullets shot in his back while he entered his car where his children sat in the backseat. After that fateful day August 23, 2020, my once quiet and tranquil city has had a racial reckoning. People took to the streets in anger. The entire Uptown neighborhood burned down in what is a metaphor for the fires of racism that burn in the Kenosha Community. A privledged white teenage militia member took it upon himself to protect and defend the streets of a city that he doesn’t even live in and took the lives of two protestors with an assault rifle. This assault rifle became a symbol of the white privilege that Kenosha has grown to embrace. While police threw curfew violating people of color in jail over curfew violations. They tossed bottles of water to this white teenager with his gun as an “atta boy” type of gesture. It has been six months since that day, and our city is attempting to heal. Unfortunately the hashtag that rose from the ashes of Uptown after the riots has a divided message. #Kenoshastrong for those of us who want to see a new more equitable Kenosha see #Kenoshastrong as a movement towards a better justice system that truly echos the message, “Erected by the People of Kenosha County to the Cause of a Just and Capable Governement,” etched on the stone above the grand entrance of our Kenosha County Courthouse. My father spent almost 20 years committed to working as a Court Commissioner committed to justice and equal rights for all. I often wonder three years after his death how he would feel that the steps of the Court house have seen tumultuous protests since the nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd in May and June. I believe that my hometown is a place that truly can serve everyone in the community as do many other community activists who have taken to the streets, the screen, and the paper calling for unity and change. Faith communities have come together to work for social justice. Unfortunately there is a divide between working class Uptown and upscale Dowtown. I am worried about the effects of the fire that burned out Uptown and the possible gentrification that could grip a once diverse neighborhood full of people helping people. It seems that the priority is more division in the wake of tragedy. In spite of the ongoing racial divide, I still call Kenosha my home. Today I have hope as I cast my vote for what could potentially be the first judge of color in Kenosha County. This is the dawn of a new day. Hope springs from the shores of that tranquil Lake where I played with my childhood friends until the street lights came on and my mom would yell down the street for me to come inside for dinner. It is a place I grew up feeling safe. A place I learned to love everyone no matter who. A place that a community activist can bring back the magic of Christmas with letters and sleigh bells delivered in the middle of the night to small children. I wrote 60 of those “Santa Letters” because even as an adult in my forties, I believe in the magic of a place I call home, Kenosha, Wisconsin.
By Elissa Werve5 years ago in Wander
Midwest Memories
To some, Woodstock, Illinois is just a tiny dot on a map clumped in with Chicago. I did not spend my childhood here nor is it the place I have lived the longest - but for my family it earns the title of home, where 3 generations are preserving and creating memories.
By Janine McCollum 5 years ago in Wander
Peach Road
It was a wild idea. The kids were grown and living lives of their own all over the country. Why not make our escape from the drum of urban life? The heavy energy weighing heavier each year. The demands of work, mortgage and responsibility never seem to lighten. Life had become more about what we have than who we are. This reality had allowed a sadness to seep in.
By Kristine Drews5 years ago in Wander
