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Spring ’23

R&S Prose

Kate Reed

Imagine Yourself Better: Lessons of The Fall

by Kate Reed In the most selfless act of love I have ever committed, I told my husband that once a year on Halloween, I

October 28, 2016 No Comments

blossoms

Death and Blossoms

by Karissa Knox Sorrell A couple of months ago, I went to a funeral. It was for a woman named Joyce whose husband had been

August 15, 2016 1 Comment

Ann Marie Bausch

Forgiving Our Small Towns

by Ann Marie Bausch Once upon a time, I was lucky enough to be invited on a free trip to Paris. I encountered the usual

August 3, 2016 12 Comments

chamber opera

The Example of Romero

by Kenneth L. Field If someday they take the radio station away from us, if they close down our newspaper, if they silence us, if

July 22, 2016 No Comments

Andy Zell

Expectations

by Andy Zell As I write this, we are expecting our fourth child in a matter of days. A few days before the birth

May 31, 2016 2 Comments

CNF Editor Offers Advice to R&S Submitters

Rock & Sling‘s Creative Nonfiction editor, Julie Riddle, recently corresponded with writer Dawn Claflin about what R&S seeks in an essay. Check out Claflin’s blog

January 18, 2016 No Comments

Cara Strickland

Love, Loss, and Rock & Roll

by Cara Strickland I am the last person you might expect to see at a music festival. Although I’m a lover of live music, that

December 30, 2015 1 Comment

Pushcart nominee, The Sack People, by Katie Flynn

our third nominee, from issue 10.2 The Sack People The sack people are at it again, singing on the corner about his pleasing light, oh

December 4, 2015 No Comments

Antonio Machado

What Have You Done With Your Eyes?

by Sunni Brown Wilkinson When the Spanish poet Antonio Machado fled Spain during that country’s civil war, he crossed the Pyrenees in an old car

October 5, 2015 No Comments

Anne Tyler

Looking Back at Summer Reading

by Laura Bloxham When I was in grade school I lived for summer reading programs at the local library. If I read so many books

September 23, 2015 2 Comments

Charles Dickens

Summer Reading: David Copperfield in the High Uintas

by Sunni Brown Wilkinson Mary Shelley penned Frankenstein after spending a chilly, wet summer near Lake Geneva. That terrain – the rugged Swiss Alps and

August 17, 2015 No Comments

Andy Zell

Summer Reading: The Perfect Time To Get In Trouble

by Andy Zell Summer reading is the time to read books that aren’t on the list or on the table at the bookstore prominently displayed.

August 10, 2015 2 Comments

Barbara Pym

How Beachcombing and Book-Combing Brought Summer Back

by Julie Riddle Once the carefree summer days of my youth (floating the stream that winked past our house, playing baseball on a freshly mown

July 29, 2015 1 Comment

Annie Stillar

R&S Editors and Contributors Share Summer Camp Stories

Summer’s in full swing. Here at R&S headquarters, we’re seeking out the shade and waiting for tomatoes. Summer’s also prime time for camp. How To

July 9, 2015 No Comments

hayride

Filling the Cracks with Gold

by Polly Hollar Pauley I recently read that Japanese ceramic artists think that an item that has suffered damage becomes more beautiful, and that when

June 11, 2015 2 Comments

cracked vessel

Writer’s Ink: The Light Can Get In

by Jackie Wallace When I was seventeen, I read a book called Paper Towns, by John Green. You may have heard of it due to

May 6, 2015 2 Comments

classic rock

Remembered Sounds: “My Sweet Lord”

by Sunni Brown Wilkinson The care center smelled on par with all the others I’d ever been in: musty and antiseptic with a passing breeze

April 13, 2015 5 Comments

Andy Zell

When in Doubt…

by Andy Zell Let’s talk about Doubting Thomas. First off, he’s got a branding problem: he’s forever known as a doubter. He can never simply

April 6, 2015 3 Comments

cat ownership

On Cat Ownership

by T.J. Pancake “Any dog under fifty pounds is a cat, and cats are pointless.” – Ron Swanson It seems that in the world of

March 19, 2015 No Comments

Karissa Knox Sorrell

On the Advent of an Unbroken World

by Karissa Knox Sorrell In his poem “Ode to the Unbroken World, Which is Coming,” Thomas Lux wrote: It must be coming, mustn’t it? Churches

March 2, 2015 4 Comments

Amy Hendricks

The Gaze of Kindness

by Amy Hendricks What makes someone kind? Do they wear fuzzy sweaters and bake chocolate chip cookies all year round? Do they help you move

February 10, 2015 2 Comments

Doug Sugano

The Motherhood of the Traveling Hoodie

by Doug Sugano In my mind, this post is about a red hoodie. You may disagree, but it’s my post. My wife, Linda, and I

January 30, 2015 1 Comment

endings

“The Heart Dies of This Sweetness”: On Endings

by Leah Silvieus In Xoxocotlán Cemetery tonight, the night before El Día De Los Muertos, life and death sit vigil together: families picnic while setting

January 19, 2015 2 Comments

stingray

Invisibly Close: Why I Won’t Get a Tattoo

by Tania Runyan Last weekend the “if-I-were-to-get-a-tattoo” topic came up again, this time among members of the church worship team, many of whom sport whirling

January 12, 2015 1 Comment

Boyz II Men

Once More, With Brio

by Megan Hershey The first time I saw a Brio magazine was during a sleep-over at my friend Jolynn’s house. I was 12 and the magazine felt

January 2, 2015 2 Comments

DNA

You Are 60 Percent Fruit Fly

by Kathryn Smith First, Marion insists I take her peaches. A few weeks later, the pears start falling, and Meredith and Blake hand me bags

December 24, 2014 No Comments

Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis

Solvitur Ambulando

by Laura Reber Her prophecy seemed a bit dramatic, but I noted it in my journal anyway, as Lord knows I needed some help with

December 16, 2014 No Comments

Facebook

Social Mediation

by Ryan Stevens The word “twitter” used to exist exclusively as a playful way to describe the series of high pitched sounds created by a

December 10, 2014 No Comments

creative life

Creative Life

by Jacquelyn Barnes I live in the collision between slowing down and being ambitious, between experiencing and interpreting, where freedom meets commitment. I believe in

December 1, 2014 No Comments

Barbara Brown Taylor

A Tent in the Wilderness

by Karissa Knox Sorrell I live in a world where people pitch tents all time. I see them in their tents every day on Facebook,

November 12, 2014 7 Comments

Dancing for Joy

Dancing For Joy

by Shannon McKee I’m not sure when it was that I stopped dancing. Not with a company or with a performance group or in clubs,

November 5, 2014 1 Comment

Heather Caliri

Hunger

by Heather Caliri I was a junior in college when my Bible study leader, Tina, recommended that I memorize Scripture. She pulled out a card

October 23, 2014 1 Comment

impeded stream

Impeded Streams

by Liz Mitchell One of my favorite authors, Wendell Berry, said, “The impeded stream is the one that sings.” I’ve been thinking about the dimensions

October 15, 2014 No Comments

Morgan C. Feddes

To Build A Church

by Morgan C. Feddes church \‘chərch\ n. 1 : a building for public and especially Christian worship 2 : the clergy or officialdom of a

October 7, 2014 1 Comment

Appalachia

On His Seventh Birthday

by Polly Hollar Pauley On my son’s seventh birthday this summer, we breakfasted out, per his request, and then spent five hours at a local

September 30, 2014 No Comments

Caroline J. Simon

Life Drawing

by Caroline J. Simon I sit cross-legged on the ground by the lake at Oxbow, painting the stump in front of me. I capture the

September 22, 2014 1 Comment

Erica Salkin

Faith, Belief, and the Reporter’s Paths to Truth

by Erica Salkin There’s a growing body of research about media and religion that suggests reporters struggle to cover issues involving faith. Some say it’s

September 15, 2014 2 Comments

bike tour

The Night of Day Nine

by Corey Zalewski I slept in the middle most nights, Jeff on my left and Monte on my right. This night was no different until

September 8, 2014 2 Comments

baptism

Being Born Again

by T. J. Pancake I took freshman-year health class as a sophomore in high school. It’s mostly about sex, which you would think 15-year-olds would

September 1, 2014 3 Comments

ants

Learning From the Ants

by Kathryn Smith Beneath my patio, a silent upheaval. Silent to me, though the ants hear it in their own way, a vibration humming their

August 25, 2014 2 Comments

Ryan Stevens

The Transcendence of Digital Play

by Ryan Stevens This year saw the launch of Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s Playstation4, which have currently sold a combined total of over 13

August 18, 2014 3 Comments

John Green

Living In the Shadow

by Pierrette Stukes These two teenage, giggling girls kept appearing before me. In the ticket line, as my husband and I bought our movie passes,

August 11, 2014 1 Comment

CrossFire

Redefining ‘Revival’

by Liz Mitchell What if I told you the word revival is not as musty as we once thought? What if the word revival is

August 4, 2014 No Comments

body/soul faith

Prayer is a Thing With Wings

by Karissa Knox Sorrell I walked down to the church kitchen to make a cup of instant coffee, piling in sugar and chalky powdered cream.

July 29, 2014 5 Comments

intercultural marriage

Marking the Color Trail

by Patrice Gopo I. Spin, I hear my thoughts say. Spin. And so I do. My right foot steps away from my left, and I am

July 23, 2014 1 Comment

A Little Yes

A Letter To Ants

by Heather Caliri Dear Ants, I swore I wouldn’t use poison. The kids, you know? Also, the smell of the spray gives me the heebie-jeebies.

July 12, 2014 No Comments

FIFA World Cup

Quadrennial Secular Religion

by Katherine Karr-Cornejo Every four years I’m drawn back in to something that I love that makes me feel ecstatic and heartbroken. There’s an emotional

July 7, 2014 No Comments

imagined tattoos

Writers’ Ink: “Peace, beaver”

by Emily Dufault My first, or maybe second, tattoo; I’m not quite sure. Softly flowing letters, paz, the Spanish word for peace, a little dove

June 23, 2014 1 Comment

advice for a young niece

Letter To A New Niece

by Annie Stillar Dear Callie, Happy birthday. This is your auntie. You have several, but I’m the funny one. I love fish tacos and eyebrow

June 16, 2014 No Comments

Amanda C.R. Clark

Musings on a Christian Theory of Everything: Books in Temporal History

by Amanda C.R. Clark My friend and scholar Dr. Eric Cunningham recently wrote a chapter in Becoming Beholders (Liturgical Press, 2014), titled “Beholding the Eschaton,”

May 28, 2014 1 Comment

body image

The Body, Revisited

by Kelli Hennessey I have always been heavy. I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t extremely aware of the limits of my body. I

May 19, 2014 4 Comments

church office manager

The Faces of the Church

by Lauren Michelle Major Have you ever walked in church alone? Have you paced the aisles of pews in the dark, walked the back hallways,

May 12, 2014 1 Comment

Katrina J Daroff

I Thought You Wanted Church to be Real

by Katrina J. Daroff A soggy leaf smacked across my face, leaving a trail of dirt on my cheek. I would have to wash my

May 3, 2014 2 Comments

middle school humor

Pinterest Tells All

by Miranda Cloyd Board: Unashamedly Laughed At This. Status: Public. Pins: 214. Analysis: You like to laugh. You’re easily entertained by well-timed pictures of animals

April 23, 2014 1 Comment

a King James childhood

For Good Friday: Why Have You Forsaken Me?

by Nicole Sheets I grew up in a church that prized certainty. Faith, I was told, was based on facts, not feelings. If you knew

April 18, 2014 No Comments

Sacred Bones & Golden Arms: The Art of Christian Spirituality

by Amanda C. R. Clark, Ph.D. In the Sant’Ignazio di Loyola church in Rome, entire walls are wreathed with relics in a macabre tapestry. Stretching

March 27, 2014 No Comments

Harmony Button

An Excerpt from “This Word Is Church”

by Harmony Button One Sunday morning, my brother and I woke up early and, while our parents were still asleep, we changed all the clocks

March 8, 2014 3 Comments

church shopping

Shopping on Sunday

by Stacy Keogh I’m not much of a shopper. Mother worked in retail for most of my childhood and insisted I keep an eye out

February 12, 2014 No Comments

Ryan Stevens

Naked Boy & Other Superheroes

by Ryan (Flyn) Stevens I was little, very little, when Naked Boy came into being. He had no alter ego, because I was too young

January 24, 2014 No Comments

Advent

Deep Greens And Blues

by the Rev. Liv Larson Andrews Advent is here. For most, however, these weeks of December are not a separate season but are already Christmas.

December 14, 2013 No Comments

gratitude

Gratitude As A Gateway Emotion

by Patricia Bruininks Hope. Peace. Joy. These words are ubiquitous this time of year. Their meaning is fundamental to the story of Christ’s birth, and they

December 9, 2013 1 Comment

Crater Lake

Running Water

by Judith Shadford My response to running water is instinctive, right up there with my response to Wagner, Rachmaninoff, Charles Villiers Stanford, Harry Potter, David

December 2, 2013 No Comments

Costa Rica

Whose Word Is “Shalom”?

by Maggie Montague Shalom was how my grandfather greeted us as my family was ushered through the door of his 300 square foot apartment in

November 22, 2013 2 Comments

Bon Odori

How To Dance The Tanko Bushi

by Katie Cunningham Left, left The plans are to meet at the Bon Odori at 2:00. This is a soft time: when your uncle

November 11, 2013 No Comments

creative nonfiction

An Excerpt From “Deaf Speak”

by Mackenna Kuehl Instructions: Remember to set your alarm for 6:15 am, the exact time when you need to go and wake your mother up.

October 28, 2013 1 Comment

a pastor's role

The Pastor On The Ladder

by Kellan Day Go my children with my blessing, never alone. Waking, sleeping, I am with you; You are my own. This one line of

September 10, 2013 No Comments

false listening

Learning To Listen

by Gregg Brekke Listening has consequences. A number of years ago, I was teaching in Micronesia. One day, Noah, the principal of our high school,

August 27, 2013 No Comments

Katherine Karr-Cornejo

Speculative Fiction & The Search For A Better World

by Katherine Karr-Cornejo When I mention to people that I’m assigning a science fiction novel to read in a course I’ll be teaching soon, I

August 19, 2013 No Comments

Chicano English

Language Patrol

by Gregg Brekke We tend to think that popular people such as Peter Jennings and Justin Bieber are friendly, international-border crossers. We ignore the OH

July 17, 2013 No Comments

Baz Luhrmann

“The Colossal Vitality Of His Illusion”: Some Thoughts on Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby

by Erika Koss During a 2003 interview, Baz Luhrmann’s motives were questioned for bringing Puccini’s celebrated opera La Boheme to Broadway. The director answered straightforwardly:

July 10, 2013 No Comments

Erika Koss

What’s So Great About The Great Gatsby?

by Erika Koss This was the question my friends and I asked, repeatedly, back in 1990, when we were required to read The Great Gatsby

May 30, 2013 14 Comments

1970s psychology

In My Father’s Library

by Jackie Wallace My dad has this library. It’s mostly history books, and books on various religions. He has a whole corner of the room

May 13, 2013 No Comments

Amy Rice

Unexpected Spiritual Themes (And Creepy Faeries) In YA Paranormal Romance

by Amy Rice and Janine Darragh Janine and I knew we liked to read YA literature. We also might have deduced (Barnes & Noble’s signs

March 25, 2013 3 Comments

librarian

On Research “Soul Mates”: Or, The Short Distance Between Friendly Chat And Teen Paranormal Romance

By Amy C. Rice Networking is such a boring word. I am not saying networking isn’t useful or important, but the word itself does not

January 26, 2013 No Comments

chicken wrangler

Overthinking the parables: the fig tree

by Kathryn Smith “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. As soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know

January 12, 2013 2 Comments

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