He almost got your nose. Or your cheek. Awkward, for sure, but on the second try, it finally happened. Then again. And again, each one sweeter than the last. As long as you live, you’ll never forget your very first ...

You didn’t do it. Whatever it was, it wasn’t your fault. You didn’t do it – you weren’t even around when it happened. You don’t know who to blame. Maybe it was your dog, your mom, or maybe, as in ...

This morning, you woke up to a big day. Like most days, you’ll eat breakfast and get ready to leave the house. Every hour is then packed with fun and excitement before you go to sleep in a comfortable bed ...

On a muggy Thursday evening, renowned intellectual Micheal Eric Dyson waltzed into Leimert Park’s Eso Wan bookstore and sparked a thunderous round of applause from his admirers, many of whom appeared to be well advanced in age and familiar with ...

Nothing’s set in stone. Few things are. Lucky for you, there’s usually a chance to change your mind or have a do-over. You can often get another go at something because few things are that firmly decided. As in the ...

When you were twenty, you wanted only to impress. If people looked at you, wasn’t that good? You wanted to be seen, watched, adored by those you saw as desirable. But what, exactly, did you want people to notice? Was ...

You can do it. Yes, you can. You just need to take a deep breath and then blow it out. Find the courage inside yourself. Think of something else and do it. Don’t be scared. As you’ll see in “Jabari ...

It was a sure thing. A can’t-miss, a safe bet that you couldn’t possibly fail - or could you? Isn’t there always a danger of losing in a gamble, or at least not winning? What kind of odds would make ...

You can pretend all you want. Hide your head in the sand and say it ain’t so. Cover your ears and yell “LaLaLaLaLa” until everyone thinks you’re five years old. You can deny, deny, deny, but listen up: some things ...

You’ve changed your mind. That’s allowed, you know. You can go in a different direction, pick something else, try another thing, have do-overs, or have two. Pencils come with erasers, few things are forever, and in “Once a Cop” by ...

Your Daddy is the King of the House. He’s the smartest person you know. He can run fast, jump high, and his words make things happen, he’s strong, cool, and funny; he’s always making you laugh. And in the new ...

Everything has a price. You say you’ll never sell your granddad’s watch, your dream car, or that collectible you coveted because it’s priceless – until it’s not, because everything is for sale. But in “The Cook-Up” by D. Watkins, it ...

He got more. There was a time in your life when just noticing that was reason to throw a tantrum. It was enough to make any adult near you want to run away. But now that you’re all grown up, ...

Your feet sometimes have a mind of their own. You see your favorite foods, and they carry you toward lunch before you even realize you’re hungry. When you’re faced with danger, they take you in the right direction, away and ...