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.

Multiple Layers of a Political Friendship

by Derek Alger

Originally published on January 1, 2013

I was the editor of a weekly newspaper in a community of 50,000 when the governing body of the place was divided into Hatfield and McCoy factions in a zero sum game to take over the place.

An Unexpected Afternoon Tragedy

by Derek Alger

Originally published on December 1, 2012

I slowly eased myself off the couch and gingerly walked over to the window. Sure enough, there were five or six police cars converging from all directions, and two ambulances parked on the main street in front of the small row of stores.

Who Knows?

by Derek Alger

Originally published on October 1, 2012

Time to open the magazine. I’m guessing Blake and Ryan are television celebrities, or maybe singers. I do know I have no idea what constitutes a “dream Southern wedding.” I don’t even know what constitutes a dream wedding of any kind, anywhere, at any time, for that matter.

Always the Lake in the Summer for Me

by Derek Alger

Originally published on September 1, 2012

When I was in my thirties my father would question my mother, with a combination of bewilderment and criticism, about why I didn’t go to Club Med on vacation.

A Twisted Ankle Tale

by Derek Alger

Originally published on August 1, 2012

My brother was injured on his part-time job, and as a result, couldn’t perform what was required for his permanent job, but it came down to “So what?” and “Tough luck” — you are not entitled to compensation.

Celebration Days for Mom and Dad

by Derek Alger

Originally published on June 1, 2012

One year, when I was in my twenties, my mother sent me a Mother’s Day card with her familiar small but exceedingly legible handwriting inside telling me not to worry about doing anything for her on Mother’s Day, it was just another day, and she was a mother everyday, so she didn’t understand what all the fuss was about.