Memoir

The Meaning of a Gift. Top Story - September 2026.
He walked the roads for months, picking up aluminum cans. I did not realize at the time that he didn't have the extra money to buy a bike for me. I just accepted it as the way he chose to make money. I don't know how much he made when he cashed the cans in at the scrapyard, and I don't know how much he paid for my bike.
By Kassie2 months ago in Chapters
Chaos in the Holler
West Virginia is often stereotyped as a place of poverty and uneducated, backwoods hill folk. My experience growing up here was nothing of the sort. However, I have met cousins raised out of state who were more like the stereotype for West Virginians.
By Kassie2 months ago in Chapters
Preserved in Memory
It's gone now. Leveled, burnt, and what remained buried. Maybe it is better this way. I understand why it had to be torn down. I know structures aren't permanent. Time and the elements would have eventually consumed what the vandals did not. We will not have to watch the change over the years as the house turned into a skeleton of block and tin.
By Kassie2 months ago in Chapters
The Heart of Appalachia
I was raised in the heart of Appalachia, up a dirt road holler in an old blockhouse my grandparents called home. The shelter of the holler shaded us from the heat of the late afternoon sun, but also kept us under a blanket of snow longer than we would have liked.
By Kassie2 months ago in Chapters
Black Cat Watches
Introduction I saw this image shared by The Enchanted Booklet and thought it was cute. It made me think of "HooverCat", which visits every day for treats but runs away when I open the door.
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred 2 months ago in Chapters
Episode 3: "Who Are the 'Tsogo' People?"
Greetings, everyone, and welcome back to another episode of "The African Latino." On the previous episode, I explained the history of the 'Ateke' people and how they survived through hardships. Today's episode will be about the 'Tsogo' people.
By Michael Reynoso2 months ago in Chapters
Outside your box
Life's journey takes you in many directions, especially in my case. With dyslexia, I believe I have sometimes gone down the same path more than once.
By Katherine Aguilar2 months ago in Chapters
Episode 2: “Who Are The ‘Ateke’ People?”
Greetings, everyone. Welcome to “The African Latino.” In today’s episode, I will share with you in-depth information about the ‘Ateke’ peoples: who they are, their meaning, what they did during their daily lives, migration, survival, and staying true to their traditions.
By Michael Reynoso2 months ago in Chapters
Episode 1: “My PatriClan African Ancestry Results Revealed”
Greetings everyone, and welcome to “The African Latino.” I'll share my "PatriClan African Ancestry" results with you in today's episode.
By Michael Reynoso2 months ago in Chapters
The African Latino: A Journey Back to Our Roots
Greetings, everyone, and welcome to "The African Latino." Every family has stories to pass on. Grandparents are the source of certain stories. Others reside in historical photos, family names, customs, languages, and locations that seem far apart from our daily existence. And occasionally, bits of our past are just waiting to be discovered via DNA, genealogy, and the tales passed down from earlier generations.
By Michael Reynoso2 months ago in Chapters
The Shine
Reaching for shine in your life is not easy. Still, as long as you keep going. Remember the saying, " It is not a race; it is a marathon."
By Katherine Aguilar2 months ago in Chapters
Chapter 5: White Is for Virgins
was 14 or so and cringing in a new white dress, skin-crawling in tiered lace, and bare legs, and all the attention. With diffidence and as much grace as I could muster, I accepted congregants’ eerily warm words of congratulations for completing my Confirmation just an hour earlier upstairs in the chapel of St. Cuthbert’s, an Episcopalian church way, way out on Long Island. The well-wishers seemed to care a lot more than I did about this religious rite of passage; but then, they were there voluntarily.
By DB Maddox2 months ago in Chapters