Magician Dad

by Derek Alger

Originally published on December 1, 2013

So, my father went to medical school, and worked as a magician on the side, which I’m sure he’d had an interest in since childhood, and to top off the act, he became a psychiatrist.

Connecting through an essay

by Derek Alger

Originally published on October 1, 2013

I have never been a great proponent, nor participant, of doing things for the sake of doing things under the guise that such activity is something other than it really is, and for me, at least, usually means killing time while convincing oneself whatever one happens to be doing is beneficial.

A High School Football Career Good Enough For Me

by Derek Alger

Originally published on September 1, 2013

Lying sprawled on the floor between a bench and the lockers, I felt more embarrassed than anything, but instantly could see I wasn’t going to ever receive any useful information from Coach Peck.

A late night boat ride

by Derek Alger

Originally published on August 1, 2013

Events were out of my control. All I could do was keep swimming, and eventually, I would come up to the rocks on the shore by the cabin at Rocky Point.

Surprising twists in family dynamics as the years pass along

by Derek Alger

Originally published on July 1, 2013

A few days before my mother died, she said to me in a hoarse whisper, with sad resignation, “I don’t trust, Dad,” and unfortunately, she was right.

A race to keep uninterrupted cable service

by Derek Alger

Originally published on June 1, 2013

I told customer service guy there shouldn’t be a problem, to which, he replied, “I’m sorry, sir, payment is being denied on your card.”

Accidental happenings along the way

by Derek Alger

Originally published on May 1, 2013

I could see my side of the car was going to smash right into a telephone pole.

One Particular Belief System, For Better Or Worse

by Derek Alger

Originally published on April 1, 2013

I do know that when I was a young child, my father was the closest I ever came to believing in a Godlike figure. The power of psychiatry was much more powerful than Christianity could ever be for me.

The AWP and Me

by Derek Alger

Originally published on March 1, 2013

I am definitely a literary outsider, and as such, I’ve been able to attend AWP Conferences sort of like an anthropologist studying the natives – it was alien territory to me and I had no one to answer to or to try and impress.

Seeing Things Differently Than Most

by Derek Alger

Originally published on February 1, 2013

Bob was a gigantic bulk of a man, his body like a perfectly proportioned concrete block, and he had one of the largest heads I’d ever seen, but it didn’t seem abnormal because of his sheer size.