Start typing and press
Enter to search

By: Sheila August 16, 2019January 2, 2020 General Nonfictionbravery, courage, creative nonfiction, empower, Feminism, personal essay, writingLeave a Comment

Brave on Paper

We’re all brave somewhere. I’m brave on paper. A woman friend of mine recently confronted a man on an airplane. This seems equal parts courageous and unadvisable. You’re already sardined into the equivalent of a flying Dairy Whip canister with nothing between one another but flimsy pieces of plastic and a bag containing six off-brand…

By: Sheila February 28, 2019January 2, 2020 General Nonfictioncity, compassion, creative nonfiction, hearts, humor, inspiration, kindness, love, Montpelier, nonfiction, travel, Valentine's Day, Vermont2 Comments

Love Comes to Town

Only in Vermont would there be something known as the Valentine Phantom. Vermont is a state positively doused in good vibes—recycling and composting before it was trendy; supporting its flotillas of Co-ops; housing the factory headquarters of the other happiest place on earth: Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. And in 2018 crops of those “good…

By: Sheila January 17, 2019January 2, 2020 General Nonfictioncreative nonfiction, essays, humor, inspiration, Mount Washington, Mount Washington Hotel, New England, ski, travel, winter, writingLeave a Comment

Zen and the Art of Cross Country Skiing

We booked a short getaway at the historic Mount Washington Hotel a couple of days after the new year. There was holiday season stress to shake and a lukewarm agreement to give cross country skiing a try. As a general rule, I am pretty terrible at anything requiring even a hint of athleticism. Even mini-golf…

About

I’m a writer from Boston. Let’s connect.

Writing

Publications

Contact

Email: smoeschen(at)gmail.com

What The Magnolia Knows

By: Sheila April 9, 2020April 8, 2020

General Nonfictioncreative nonfiction, essay, magnolia trees, nature, nature writing, nonfiction, personal essay, resilience, season, spring, treeLeave a Comment

The first week when the world unraveled I went for a run as if it were any other March day. I pick up the bike path where it intersects with my favorite, go-to café. This was back in the care free days when our governor was restricting gatherings to 50 people or less. The café…

Old Yellers: Men’s Anger

Elaine Benes. Nineties feminist icon. Terrible dancer. Urban sombrero-wearer. Sponge-worthy decider and a no bullshit-giver-or-taker. In one Seinfeld episode, Elaine gets asked by her friends, Beth and Arnie, to be a character reference in their adoption case. She lets it slip with the agency officer that once when they were all at a movie, Arnie…

Do Better

By: Sheila January 16, 2020January 16, 2020

General Nonfictioncommunity, connection, creative nonfiction, do better, essay, future, hope, maya angelou, politics, resilience, stronger togetherLeave a Comment

The father squatted down on the patch of mud and dead grass. The little boy, maybe five or six, stood beside him, watching closely as his father pushed the metal legs of the stand into the soft earth, which in January should have been bedrock. The father straightened up, stepped back, placed his hands on…

Benched

By: Sheila January 9, 2020January 7, 2020

General NonfictionBoston, creative nonfiction, essay, grief, mindfulness, nature, New England, nonfiction, place, presentness, tribute2 Comments

The green wreath tacked to the back of the wooden bench was no bigger than a dinner plate. A note card fixed next to the wreath, lacquered over in tape, read: Please do not remove this wreath. It is for my late husband to whom this bench is dedicated. I glanced to the right…

Unlearn

By: Sheila December 20, 2019December 17, 2019

Feminism, General Nonfictioncreative nonfiction, empower women, Feminism, gender, harrassment, masculinity, nonfiction, women2 Comments

Reporter Alex Bozarjian, a journalist with the NBC News affiliate out of Savannah, Georgia, was broadcasting live from an annual holiday charity race when a runner named Tommy Callaway slapped her on the behind as he jogged past. A quick poll of long-distance runners reveals that this is completely acceptable, totally normal behavior when you’re…