Top Stories
New stories you’ll love, handpicked for you by our team and updated daily.
Conversations With My New Friend Oneg
Social media is great, isn't it? Especially for Vocal creators. Facebook has many groups dedicated to Vocal creators. In the group Vocal Writers Sharing Community, there are many games and contests that help feature creators and increase reads for those who participate. (If you haven't already joined this group, you can find it here). One of the challenges posed in this particular group is called "Not My Shoes Interviews". We were randomly assigned partners to interview. One problem-I have never done an interview. So I approached it a little differently. My interview partner and I didn't have a laundry list of questions for each other; we just had conversations. That is how I get to know people. And I love getting to know people.
J. Delaney-HowePublished 2 years ago in InterviewTest of Time
”time is on our side” so, why do we run and hide trespassing, crossing all those thin lines working tirelessly to make sense of a dark mind
Chat With Les: Smile Happy Arts
This interview is part of a series of interviews collected for the ongoing column "Chat with Les" by Vocal Media author Call Me Les in the new Vocal Creators Chronicle. The Vocal Creators Chronicle is a free, online magazine. Les is both a columnist and a co-founder. Her column presents candid interviews with people from all backgrounds, and aims to examine the finer points in the lives of those around us, such as Nick Slavik: Youtuber, artist, father & one of the nicest guys you have got to meet!
Call Me LesPublished 2 years ago in InterviewCreator Spotlight: Justin Douglas Lee
Justin Douglas Lee is a writer and poet who covers everything from science fiction, to music reviews, dog content, and reflections on his experiences with homelessness and mental illness. While it was his fiction that drew us in initially, one look at Justin's poetry and non-fiction pieces kept us engaged and confirmed his talent as an all-around creator.
Vocal SpotlightPublished 2 years ago in ResourcesLasers at Dawn: As Good as Therapy
You've probably heard a lot of different things about rave culture— eccentric people wearing wild outfits dancing in darkened rooms filled with booming bass, lasers, and ardent drug-fueled energy... as much as there is to be said about stereotypes in how the scene is depicted by mainstream culture, that's not the story I'm here to share today. I'm here to share the story of how the admittedly eccentric but often misrepresented scene made a lasting impact on my life journey.
Federica BrandiPublished 2 years ago in BeatA Glimpse at Family Engagement in Education
Family engagement is a critical issue in education today. It refers to the mutual dedication, cooperation, and support that educators, parents, and other caregivers share as students are being educated. Whether the school is a traditional public, charter, faith-based, private, cyber, or independent facility, parents and educators must be determined to work together as a team to support the growth and development of children and youth.
Dr Deborah M VereenPublished 2 years ago in EducationMidas: The Four-Eared Cat With a Big White Heart
Midas' uniqueness reminds us that beauty lies in our differences I am a dog person but a cat owner. Well, not quite. You do not own your cat; your cat owns you!
Wise Words From Oprah Winfrey
I have personally loved and looked up to Oprah from a very young age, even before I truly understood how amazing she is. As a young child, I and my aunt would spend an hour after dinner in her bedroom away from everyone while we indulged in our stack of Oprah magazines.
Susie PinonPublished 2 years ago in MotivationDon't Be Shocked If My Pillow Pet Murders Me
“A pillow pet? Mom, I’m frickin a adult, I don’t want a pillow pet!” Eight-year-old me was furious at my mother for buying me a “baby gift” as a birthday present. It took 10 minutes for me to get over it, as I quickly realized Brad was the closest thing I had to a friend. I began to take him everywhere. My mother noticed our unbreakable bond and got me another pillow pet for my next birthday.
Payton BurdettePublished 2 years ago in FictionHow Fighting Perfectionism Allowed Me To Create a Daily Writing Habit!
Becoming an aspiring writer or wanting to better your writing habit can sometimes be tough to maintain. It can feel so daunting when you’re just staring at the blank screen (or page), struggling to write!
Samantha ScottPublished 2 years ago in JournalThe Joy of Reading
If there's one skill I value above all others, it is the ability to read. My mom told me that at an early age I could read back some of my favorite stories, though she wasn't sure whether I had just memorized them. In any event, reading came easily to me and I was always quite good at it.
Marco den OudenPublished 2 years ago in EducationReview: The French Dispatch
The slow burn death of print journalism. The beauty of writing. Loneliness. Love. Poetry. Revolution. The “French Dispatch” is a 2 hour long love letter to journalism. As a writer, the movie inspired me to write about everything I see, feel, think, experience. More than ever now I want to interview strangers, eat every food imaginable, attend and explore countless museums, and write about it all.
Beca DamicoPublished 2 years ago in Geeks- Third Place in The Remarkably Real Challenge
I Swore I'd Never Get Married. Then I Had Ten Weddings.
As of August 24th, click HERE to listen to this story and an interview with Dane BH on Write Here, Write Now, Vocal's new podcast.
Chairoscuro
a match flares breaching the dark blur of bones two sea-black eyes shimmering inside of the crackling rain I've forgotten my way back
Timothy James LanePublished 2 years ago in PoetsSinging In A Trash Can
I had the good fortune of being cast in a production of HAIR in college. I played Jeanie, a supporting character memorable for being pregnant and singing a solo while being rolled around the stage in a trash can on wheels. It was an incredible experience, and even though we allegedly came very close to being the first cast of HAIR to travel to China, nearly making a deal with the original Broadway producer to fly our cast across the world, I somehow had an even more memorable experience the second time I did the musical.
Bonnie Joy SludikoffPublished 2 years ago in Confessions3 Myths About Finding Your Life's Purpose
Are you on a never-ending search for your “true purpose”? Maybe you believe that your life’s purpose is to find a partner, to get accepted into a specific university, or to start a business. And if you don’t achieve these goals at a specific time, then it's just not meant to be.
Syed BalkhiPublished 2 years ago in MotivationMy Accidental New Career
I'm a big believer in fate and coincidence. Perhaps it's the autistic in me that loves pattern finding, I see deeper than most people do, but I truly believe sometimes the Universe pops up and gives us a big kick up the backside for good reason. Often that reason is unclear whilst you're eyeball deep in the manure pile, but eventually, hopefully, life takes a better direction.
Kyra ChambersPublished 2 years ago in JournalEat, Pray, Love...Well Kind Of.
Welcome back pals/gals, I'd like to preface this story much like I did my last by saying; friends, family, work colleagues, strangers on the subway, corner bodega man with his cat, and to all whom it may concern, I am NOT okay. Yep, NOT. Buckle up buckaroos, we're about to go on a wild ride.
My Father, the Enigma
Two years ago, my father died. Technically speaking, his passing was sudden -- but if you ask me, he had been impatiently waiting for his final breath from the very second his mother had taken hers. He made it two years and one day short of her birthday, and I’m convinced he left so abruptly because he couldn’t bring himself to sit through one more of her birthdays without her. Cancer was what eventually took him, and true to form it was a very rare, aggressive, and difficult-to-detect manifestation of the disease -- only something obscure would do, after all, for the man who repeatedly claimed his diabetes was not real and, instead, must have actually been something that science had not yet discovered.
Kristy Ockunzzi-KmitPublished 2 years ago in FamiliesThe Art of Feeling Alive With Medicinal Music
Ecstatic Dance is a movement. It’s where a community of spiritually enlightened individuals come together to express themselves through the art of dance. The therapeutic sounds of Ecstatic Dance have intentions of empowering people from all walks of life to surrender, quiet the mind, and become in tune with their soul connection.
Susie PinonPublished 2 years ago in Beat