Alive In America: Postcards & Essays

By Joselito Laudencia San Francisco, CA Marriage_equality Labor Day usually marks the start of the mad dash towards the finish line for November electoral races. I’ve personally been involved with many statewide electoral campaigns in California throughout my life. In the 1990s I played a leadership role in the statewide effort to create a...
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By Ryan West Providence,RI Note: Ryan is a California native who wrote this letter asking his family members to vote against the proposed anti-marriage amendment that will be on the California ballot this fall. In talking about the experience of composing this letter — which is the first in a series of four that...
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By Sam Sanders New Orleans, LA I’m sitting in a tiny non-profit office in the heart of New Orleans, at a conference table strewn with flyers and newspapers, in an office too small for it, on my laptop, listening to Jeff Buckley and reading Real Clear Politics. I’m sad. My girl lost. Everyone who...
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By Nilka Julio San Francisco, CA Note: June 17th, 2008 marked the first full day that gay couples could legally marry in California. Nilka helped to organize a group of 16 folks who went down to San Francisco City Hall to cheer on the couples and celebrate. When we put the call out to...
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By Meghann Burke Boston, MA I’m a slow starter. If the fact that I am writing this blog a solid three weeks since the New Hampshire primary is any indication, then perhaps I share more with Guiliani than I’d like to admit. In the time since Iowa voters flocked to the caucus in droves,...
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By Ari A. Matusiak Washington, DC Note: Ari’s piece kicks off a series of election-focused blog spots that we’ll be running in the year to come. Stay tuned! Iowa There is no question that this is a change election. Even the most conservative candidates are talking about it. People are not happy and they...
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By Kate Nott Boulder, Colorado Note: Kate Nott is traveling across China studying Chinese medicine as she completes the final phase of her training as an acupuncturist. Her journey has included time in Chengdu, Shanghai and Beijing. The following pieces are excerpted from her blog. Self Sufficiency: An Oxymoron (from March 1, 2007) China...
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By Anna Louise Pigman Asheville, North Carolina The alarm sounds. I kick off my shoes and step into my boots, already strategically placed in my turnout pants. I pull the suspenders over my shoulders and reach for my nomex hood in my pocket. The hood goes over my head quickly, made to protect my...
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By Martha Beach Chapel Hill, North Carolina Having left North Carolina and slept in the Richmond, Virginia area on Friday night, we drove to the southern most Metro stop and boarded the train on Saturday morning. Our group of six included: John and Deborah, a couple in their early fifties who are opposed to...
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