Open Mic

It’s back-to-school time once again. Students everywhere are returning to campus excited to see each other and catch up – but Roanoke College Professor…

I’ve always told my children, “Don’t hitchhike and don’t pick up hitchhikers.” But, in truth, from my own experience, I’ve found that hitchhiking can lead…

Economists speculate about the extent of recovery from this country’s great recession. Since 2008, many families have faced hard times, but…

Top entries from the 13th Annual Celebration of Reflective and Creative Writing (2015):It’s never easy to deal with sickness and death, but nurses do it…

Mother's Day provides a chance to think about our mothers and about those who came before them -- the often unsung heroes of countless families.…

My son gave me a record player for Christmas. Here is how it works. You turn a knob to switch on the power. You place the vinyl LP onto the turntable. You…

On a mild night in January, I went to the opening evening of the Martin Luther King celebration in Lexington. It’s a simple service, held annually at the…

“Expectations lead to tension, “ said Susan McCulley, my dance instructor. Then she told us to look at ourselves in the mirrored wall. She asked, “Does…

The U.S. military relies heavily on the skills of its fighter pilots -- an elite group of men and women with a challenging skill set. Nelson County writer…

I’m deep into recycling old papers one day when I come upon a small handful of very thin ones, all the same size, with “US Postal Service” printed on…