by Meghan Laakso I let out a long, forced exhale as I left the examination room. In my hand I held a light blue piece of paper, prescribed for Effexor. The doctor’s hand fell on my shoulder, making me jump out of my anxious thoughts. “This will help you feel better, Meghan,” he said. “If … Continue reading Revealing Vulnerability
by Sara Whitestone With a splash, I step off the anchored boat. Bobbing in the warm Atlantic waters, I check my equipment one more time, making sure my mouthpiece and mask are in place before I let the air out of my scuba diving vest. Then I descend into the sea. Even though there are … Continue reading Shaping Identity: Belonging
by Liz Backstrom "To do something well you have to like it. That idea is not exactly novel. We've got it down to four words: ‘Do what you love.’ But it's not enough just to tell people that. Doing what you love is complicated.” Paul Graham, 2006 I always wanted to be a scientist as … Continue reading Shaping Identity: Not Suited to this World
by Emily Hanson Every issue of Rock & Sling witnesses to a myriad of different ideas, feelings, and actions and each piece does so in a way that is specific to the individual writer. Issue 12.2 is no different than the rest in how it witnesses to a diverse set of ideas, but, what makes … Continue reading 12.2, an Issue in Review
by Jessica Dundas The label “Christian Fiction” tends to turn me off. I expect another cleaned up, simplified version of life, where they always get their miracle and every sunset reminds us that God is good. Cheesy clichés, sub-par writing. But that is not at all what Katherine James has given us in her novel … Continue reading Can You See Anything Now?
by Julie Riddle I have a child for you. In an instant these six words dismantled my long-held identity as a woman who had chosen to not have children. (On my bookshelves you will find a copy of Beyond Motherhood: Choosing a Life without Children. Its pages are heavily highlighted. That book got me.) I … Continue reading Shaping Identity: This Beautiful Mess
by Karen Bjork Kubin This butterfly is going to sit on your arm for a while, okay? I’m sure I nodded, but I don’t remember. The idea of the butterfly gracing my arm with all its pink translucence was just the sort of magical thing I’ve always been drawn to. It was attached to a … Continue reading Shaping Identity: Breathing
by Alanna Carlson Anyone who knows me knows that I am unabashedly, loudly, political. Not infrequently, a family member (often on the other side of the political aisle than myself) will ask me some variation of the question, “Why do you care so much about something that doesn’t really affect your life?” I have, until … Continue reading What Witness Means
by Laura Bloxham I have always loved reading. When I was a child I gravitated toward Nancy Drew, who solved mysteries, had a supportive father, although largely in the background, a best friend, a boyfriend, Ned, and a car. She was independent. I avoided animal stories, which almost always ended with the animal dying. I … Continue reading Shaping Identity: Literature that Lives in Me
by Emily Donnel Dr. Laurie Lamon lives in Spokane, Washington and is currently a professor in the English department at Whitworth University, where she teaches classes on creative writing and poetry. Dr. Lamon’s poetry has appeared in many well-known journals and magazines, including The Atlantic Monthly, The New Republic, Ploughshares, Ruminate, The Literary Review, The … Continue reading Environmental and Nature Writing: An Interview with Laurie Lamon
