Achievements

A Conservation With My Readers
I hold my laptop and open a blank Word document, thinking about what to write. No ideas were coming into my mind. Maybe it's because I am still recovering from the two times I fell in Istanbul. My body is healing but my mind is still feels a little slow. So I thought, instead of forcing a topic, why not simply chat with my friend readers today?
By Uzma5 months ago in Writers
Milestones
Introduction This is just something that makes me happy to see on Vocal and I love seeing people hit milestones. I have sometimes been criticized in the past for sharing mine but that doesn't bother me as I have a major one coming up that I may or may not share, but I am so glad to see others hitting and surpassing those milestones, often unexpectedly.
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred 5 months ago in Writers
Vocal media $0
I Made $0 on Vocal Media for 6 Months… Then This Happened When I first joined Vocal Media, I thought I understood how it worked.
By Tariq Pathan 5 months ago in Writers
My Writing Journey Begins
I decided to start writing online—and honestly, I didn’t expect what would happen next. At first, it was just a simple thought that crossed my mind on an ordinary day.
By Kate | Life, Love & Everything In Between5 months ago in Writers
Works Cited (April, 2026)
Bureau of Labor Statistics. Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey. U.S. Department of Labor, https://www.bls.gov/cps/Bureau of Labor Statistics. Men Who Do Not Work During Their Prime Years: What Do the National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth Data Reveal? U.S. Department of Labor, https://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-8/men-who-do-not-work-during-their-prime-years.htmBureau of Labor Statistics. Unemployment 4.5 Percent for High School Graduates with No College in January 2025. U.S. Department of Labor, 2025, https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2025/unemployment-4-5-percent-for-high-school-grads-with-no-college-in-january-2025.htmBureau of Labor Statistics. Unemployment Rates by Educational Attainment. U.S. Department of Labor, https://www.bls.govBloomberg. Corporate America Promised to Hire a Lot More People of Color. It Actually Did. 2023, https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2023-black-lives-matter-equal-opportunity-corporate-diversity/Bloomberg. Corporate America Hired More Black Workers. Then It Stopped. 2024, https://www.bloomberg.comCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. Births: Provisional Data for 2025. National Center for Health Statistics, 2026, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsrr/vsrr043.pdfCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. Fathers’ Involvement With Their Children. https://www.cdc.govCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. National Survey of Family Growth. https://www.cdc.govFederal Reserve Bank of New York. The Labor Market for Recent College Graduates. https://www.newyorkfed.org/research/college-labor-marketFederal Reserve Bank of New York. Survey of Consumer Expectations. https://www.newyorkfed.orgForbes. Survey: 78% of Gen Z Report Dating App Burnout. 2025, https://www.forbes.comForbes. Top Gender Pay Gap Statistics. 2023, https://www.forbes.comInstitute for Family Studies. New IFS Survey: How Young American Men View Marriage and Family. 2026, https://ifstudies.orgInstitute for Family Studies. State of Our Unions 2026: The Dating Recession. https://ifstudies.orgMerlin Strategy. Polling on Gender Attitudes Among Young Adults.National Assessment of Educational Progress. NAEP Reading Results. The Nation’s Report Card, 2024, https://www.nationsreportcard.govNational Bureau of Economic Research. Is Making Divorce Easier Bad for Children? https://www.nber.orgStevenson, Betsey, and Justin Wolfers. Marriage and Divorce: Changes and Their Driving Forces. National Bureau of Economic Research, https://www.nber.orgNational Center for Education Statistics. Degrees Conferred by Postsecondary Institutions. U.S. Department of Education, https://nces.ed.govNational Center for Education Statistics. Fast Facts: Graduation Rates. U.S. Department of Education, https://nces.ed.govNational Center for Education Statistics. Undergraduate Enrollment. U.S. Department of Education, https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cha/undergrad-enrollmentNational Institutes of Health. McLanahan, Sara, et al. The Causal Effects of Father Absence. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.govNational Institutes of Health. Sarkadi, Anna, et al. Fathers’ Involvement and Children’s Developmental Outcomes. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.govPew Research Center. Americans See Men as the Financial Providers Even as Women’s Contributions Grow. 2017, https://www.pewresearch.orgPew Research Center. Childcare Costs and Family Economic Burden Data. https://www.pewresearch.orgPew Research Center. How Americans See Men and Masculinity. 2024, https://www.pewresearch.orgPew Research Center. In a Growing Share of U.S. Marriages, Husbands and Wives Earn About the Same. 2023, https://www.pewresearch.orgPew Research Center. Men, Women and Social Connections. 2025, https://www.pewresearch.orgResumeBuilder.com. 1 in 6 Hiring Managers Have Been Told to Stop Hiring White Men. 2022, https://www.resumebuilder.com/1-in-6-hiring-managers-have-been-told-to-stop-hiring-white-men/ResumeBuilder.com. Hiring Bias and DEI Survey Findings. 2025, https://www.resumebuilder.comRosenfeld, Michael J. Who Wants the Breakup? Gender and Breakup in Heterosexual Couples. Stanford University, https://web.stanford.edu/~mrosenfe/Rosenfeld_gender_of_breakup.pdfScarlett Maguire. “Survey Data on Young Men and Women’s Views of Each Other.” X (formerly Twitter), https://x.com/Scarlett__Mag/status/2044312088793723351Survey Center on American Life. Why Young People Feel Misunderstood by the Opposite Sex. 2024, https://www.americansurveycenter.orgSurvey Center on American Life. Young Men and Social Trends. https://www.americansurveycenter.orgThe New Statesman. Angry Young Women. 2026U.S. Department of Education. The Nation’s Report Card. https://www.ed.govWorld Bank. Fertility Rate, Total (Births per Woman). https://data.worldbank.org
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcast5 months ago in Writers
How AVMs Are Replacing Traditional Appraisals in HELOC Lending
The home equity lending ecosystem is undergoing a significant transformation, driven by technology and borrower demand for faster access to funds. With over $11.5 trillion in tappable home equity in the U.S. and more than $200 billion withdrawn annually, lenders are under increasing pressure to streamline processes without compromising risk assessment.
By sammmy5 months ago in Writers
Mid April 2026: 7 Goals Accomplished
It's been a good start to the month of April for me, and this has been an especially fun and productive week! For starters, as referenced above, I accomplished my 7th writing goal for the year of 2026. This one's at the very tippy-top of my official notebook paper, on the right: Write 2nd Draft of Short Story (Headaches)
By Stephen Kramer Avitabile5 months ago in Writers
A Few Notes On Where I Am Creatively
Introduction Forty percent of my Vocal Stories are poems, and the devil in me calls me lazy at the thought of that. Vocal has just become a platform where I store my stories, nothing else.
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred 5 months ago in Writers
Remembering All the Hidden Gems in Older Books that We Published. Top Story - April 2026.
If the title and subtitle of this story sounds vain and like I'm doing a bit of bragging, that's probably because I am. Lately, I've been revisiting some of my older ebooks that I published nearly 10 years ago. Not only am I surprised at how relevant and just as timely the material still is, but I honestly forgot just how informative, inspirational, and extremely motivating I can be at times.
By Justiss Goode5 months ago in Writers
Is Your Child's Smartphone Stealing Their Childhood? The Truth Every Parent Needs to Hear
Picture a family dinner table. Plates are full. Food is warm. But nobody is talking. The parents are scrolling. The children are watching videos. Everyone is physically present but mentally somewhere else entirely — absorbed in a glowing rectangle that demands their full attention and gives very little back.
By sammmy5 months ago in Writers
📰 Vocal Media This Week: What People Are Really Writing About (April 13 Edition). AI-Generated.
This week on Vocal Media isn’t random. It looks like chaos. But it’s actually a blueprint. And if you pay attention, it’s quietly telling you exactly what works right now.
By Ahmet Kıvanç Demirkıran5 months ago in Writers
You’re Not Lazy—You’re Just Doing This One Thing Wrong
I used to call myself lazy in a way that sounded almost casual. Like it wasn’t a big deal. “I’m just being lazy today.” “I’ll do it later.”
By John Smith5 months ago in Writers