by Fahrin (FAH-reen) Kermally “What was that? FEY-rin? Fey-REEN? Fah-RIN? Can you repeat that, please?” I always hated the first day of school. Not because I was worried about having friends. Not because I was scared I would flunk out. But because I dreaded listening to the teacher mispronounce my name. And then continue to mispronounce it, not trying to get it right, and just settling on saying it wrong for lack of effort and interest. I danced this dance…
by: Patricia Jonik Stein Though she arguably was the most famous, Cleopatra was not the only fascinating and powerful woman from the ancient world. The adage that behind every powerful man, there is an equally powerful woman was certainly true of Justinian, Emperor of Byzantium during the 6th century. His wife, Theodora, wore many different hats throughout her lifetime. She was a feminist, an actress, an acrobat, a religious zealot, a mistress, a wife, a mother and most importantly, an…
by Veneranda Aguirre Depression first hit me when I was in fourth grade. I didn’t know it was depression. People didn’t talk about it back in the 1980s. And they certainly didn’t give the diagnosis to children. But as a child with undiagnosed autism, I suffered from massive anxiety and depression that kept me up at nights, crying into my pillow out of frustration and fear. As I grew into an adult, depression morphed into irrational anger. If I couldn’t…
by Renee Uitto I always had a good relationship with my mother. She believed that I should have the best of everything and she made sure that I had the best education, therapy and everything else I needed. When I wanted to live on my own after my relationship ended, she supported me then also. When she started having problems with her memory, it threw me for a loop and shocked me. She was asking the same things over and…
By The Refresh Editors If you’re new to The Refresh, it might come as a surprise to see that nestled among the latest book post or soul-baring personal essay are glimpses into history. We’re delighted to work with writers who look into the past as a means of better understanding our present and future worlds — and ultimately to remind readers that even though we could easily consider the current time to be a bit politically tumultuous, ups and downs have…