A woman who longs for belonging navigates the perils of romance and religion in Ora Murphy’s engrossing novel. In Ora Murphy’s novel "The Pruning", a woman searches for love and religious belonging. Ruth, a single mom of three,... Read More

Of the many positive things to say about Buddhism, the most meaningful may be that Buddhists readily admit that life is very, very hard. By facing that fact head on, rather than denying or ignoring it, Buddhists can quickly get on with... Read More

Peter Nowak analyzes the phenomenon of real people dressing in costumes to fight crime and help others in "The Rise of Real-Life Superheroes". Since 1969, when a junior high school science teacher fought corporate pollution as “The... Read More

That climbing Mount Everest is a risky and dangerous endeavor is well known, but never has that been more true than it was in April of 2015, when a massive earthquake struck Nepal, resulting in the deadliest day so far on the mountain.... Read More

Naturalist Jill Sisson Quinn’s essay collection "Sign Here If You Exist" concerns connection and change in relation to both the self and the world at large. As an environmental educator in Wisconsin, Quinn taught that everything is... Read More

John W. Haines’s travel accounts go across the world, but their heart stays at home. Haines is from Laramie, Wyoming, a place he describes in terms of its freedom, extreme weather, and adventurous and caring people. But like many young... Read More

Kelly Daniels’s "A Candle for San Simón" is a gritty tale set in an unforgiving Central American world. Max, a born-again Christian, is trying to track down his father, Norman, who lives in Guatemala and drives a bus carrying... Read More

In Kim Soom’s novel "One Left", an elderly woman recalls her experience in a Manchurian comfort station during the Pacific War. The main character, referred to as “she,” is taken away from her home at the age of thirteen, believing... Read More