A Father’s Cover

by Blessing Digha

Blessing Digha fears she has fallen short of her father’s expectations.

My Father’s Hands

by Harwood Taylor

Harwood Taylor reaches for a father who is out of touch.

​​​Jill McDonough

Jill McDonough teaches in UMass-Boston’s MFA program in Creative Writing and directs 24PearlStreet, the Fine Arts Work Center online. She’s the author of the books Habeas Corpus, and Reaper among others. And has another book on the way: Here All Night from Alice James Books.

Owen Lewis

Owen lives in Cambridge, MA where he works as a building substitute teacher at an elementary school. There he gets to work with every student, from preschool through fifth grade -- they talk about feelings and challenging societal norms, play copious amounts of tag, and study. After school, he teaches a Spanish and a slam poetry class. In his free time, he rides his bike, writes music, snuggles his dog, spends time with friends & family, and illustrates.

Bethany Cintron

Bethany Cintron is a sophomore in Depauw University and hopes to pursue a career in teaching. She is an activist and has been part of protests in support of DACA, Black Lives Matter, and the LGBTQ+ community.

Bob Maloney, Josey Packard, and the Bike Thief

by ​​​Jill McDonough

Jill McDonough meets the girl at the rock show.

What’s In A Name?

by Owen Lewis

Owen Lewis embraces a new moniker.

Take That, Homophobia!

by Bethany Cintron

Bethany Cintron yearns to go to the Pride Parade.

New Pride: Jill McDonough, Owen Lewis, and Bethany Cintron

To celebrate Pride Month, we hear from three storytellers embarking on each of their new lives. Jill McDonough meets the girl at the rock show. Owen Lewis embraces a new moniker. Bethany Cintron yearns to go to the Pride Parade.

Phyllis Bowdwin

Phyllis Marie Bowdwin, a Bronx-born artist, jewelry designer and griot, captures her people's stories through her writing and her art. She was a Teacher Trainer for the New York City Department of Education, Crisis Intervention Counselor for the Marble Collegiate Church, and Coordinator of Daytime Casting at ABC. Her Middle Passage Maafa brooch was featured in the Styles section of The New York Times, exhibited at the New York Historical Society and acquired for the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. She holds a B.A. from The New School and an M.A. in Education from Adelphi University. A 2013 BRIO award winner for literature, her short stories have been published in the Bronx Memoir Project and the UFT's Reflections Magazine. As a volunteer at the Neighborhood Women's Collective, she mentors and conducts life skills workshops for women and girls. Known as the Bronx Pickle, the Quiet Fire, and that nosy, trouble making #$%@&*, Phyllis is currently completing her first volume of short stories.

​Gautam Narula

Gautam Narula is a writer, software engineer. He is the author of Remain Free, a memoir about his friendship with death row inmate Troy Davis. ­­He is currently studying artificial intelligence (AI), with the long term goal of building AI systems to reform the criminal justice system.

Sue Steinacher

I’ve often felt I had an internal compass pointing me north and west, which is how a kid from Long Island, NY eventually ends up in Nome, AK. Along the way I went to Oregon State University, earning a BS in Biology with a minor in art. Upon graduation in 1980 I immediately headed north, with dreams of being a wildlife biologist and wildlife artist. My passion for the outdoors and creative expression led me down numerous unanticipated trails in Alaska, including many on the back of a sled led by a team of sled dogs. 

Following the pull north and west I reached the Inupiaq village of Little Diomede, in the middle of the Bering Strait, to study walruses. A deep and life-changing friendship with the Diomeders developed, and has enriched and informed my appreciation of Alaska’s Native People. 

I’ve held a variety of jobs, but when viewed through the prism of my passions they all make sense. And finally, at the age of 48, I was smart enough to recognize the right man when he came along – who was willing to relocate to Nome! After 14+ years here together, we continue to enjoy the diversity of good people and outdoor opportunities, and the company of five dogs.

Quiet Fire

by Phyllis Bowdwin

Phyllis Bowdwin takes on a silent assailant.

Journey Jamison

Journey Jamison is a 16-year-old Junior from the South Side of Chicago. She is a cheerleader for her school, a UMedics trainer and a member of Sky Council at Sacred Keeper Sustainability Lab.

Bill Russell

Theory of Change

by Journey Jamison

Journey Jamison must spring into action when death comes knocking.

Recognizing a Snow Job in a Blizzard

by Bill Russell

Bill Russell uses his inner-knowledge of air travel to make his way home.

The Windy City Home: Bill Russell & Journey Jamison

Bill Russell uses his inner-knowledge of air travel to make his way home. Journey Jamison must spring into action when death comes knocking.

Vixen and the USSR

by Sue Steinacher

Sue Steinacher fights USSR bureaucracy with dog-diplomacy.

Coming of Age on Death Row

by ​Gautam Narula

Gautam Narula is a teen when he bonds with a unique friend on death row.