The Pitter-Patter of Little Feet

Val, Aunt Lue’s daughter, was the eldest cousin. While our parents exemplified hard work, Val took the…

New Orleans, Weeping Willows, and the Weird Eye Doctor

It’s Pronounced Puhkhan, Not Pecan!

Even at twelve years old, I knew we didn’t have much. However, like many families in the…

That Ol’ Silver Grain Bin

“Don’t you go out there in that ol’ grain bin,” Mom always told me, wagging her finger in my direction. Whenever…

Those Mississippi Cotton Fields

I was only thirteen-years-old.

What Makes the Green Grass Grow?!

“Put your head down, close your eyes, and don’t look up,” a voice from the front of the bus said…

Down in the Mississippi Delta

We’ve all heard that old saying: “Pull yourself up by your bootstraps.”

Backyards, Bicycles, and Snakes

Every summer, like clockwork, my cousins Reggie and Marcus came back to Elemwood from Houston to stay at…

Introduction

I had been running — alone in the dark — for what seemed like forever. As I passed trees lining both sides of the road, each stride…

Just Across Highway 826

The highway was empty; I sat motionless in the grass, still shimmering with morning dew. In the distance, about a…