Chicago Story Press

In “My Mommy Shakes: Tales of Advocacy,” Julie Weissman shares an essay about motherhood, cerebral palsy, and the unexpected ways children become advocates. This is a reminder that acceptance can be beautifully simple, and that sometimes children understand difference better than adults do. LINK IN COMMENTS

This is the story of one man's experience with unwanted sexual attention in the place he least expected to find it. It explores not only the encounter, but also how it influenced his understanding of himself, the aggressor, and the institution in which it occurred. LINK IN COMMENTS

What is it like to be a high-school teacher today, when the threat of gun violence looms in the background of everyday life? What is it like to wonder when to act, what to say, and how to keep students safe in an uncertain world? A. L. Gordon offers a psychological portrait of the fears, responsibilities, and split-second decisions that occupy a teacher's mind each day. LINK IN COMMENTS

When his wife was diagnosed with cancer, Danny Lesslie thought he knew what mattered in life. He was wrong. His family's journey through illness revealed unexpected truths about love, gratitude, and what it means to live fully. It's a story that may change the way you think about cancer and about life. LINK IN COMMENTS

What happens to us when one of our children dies? For one woman, unimaginable loss shattered the life she thought she knew and forced her to confront who she really was. She developed an entirely new way of leading and relating to other people—one shaped less by power and certainty and more by humanity, compassion, and connection. And when she finally found her way forward, she used what she learned to help others. LINK IN COMMENTS ***de

Imagine discovering that someone you barely knew hated you for years—for reasons that made heartbreaking sense once you understood why. This piece is about grief, jealousy, and the complicated ways pain can attach itself to other people’s lives. LINK IN COMMENTS

A woman grows up working in her family’s funeral home and experiences something she still can’t fully explain. Years later, she shares the story on a podcast. What happens afterward changes the way she thinks about coincidence, connection, and the unseen ways our lives affect each other. LINK IN COMMENTS

What happens when you lose someone because of a brutal crime? How do you make sense of the world after that? How do you pick up the pieces? For one woman, the answer emerged in an unexpected way. LINK IN COMMENTS

As she plans her mother’s funeral, the question is simple: Did her mother have any favorite dishes she was known for? The answer was not simple. This essay delves into a life far more complicated than any recipe—through books, memory, and the small notes left behind in the margins. It quietly asks what we really remember people for… and how much is revealed in the smallest details. LINK IN COMMENTS