Friday Lunch Blog

Dig in every month as our Lunch Ticket staff brings you thought-provoking personal essays and nonfiction stories in our Friday Lunch Blog. From stories about grief and loss, to tales of growing up and overcoming challenges, to celebratory pieces about love and family, these stories are shared every second Friday of the month. With these blogs, we aim to give you a glimpse into Lunch Ticket and the values we stand by for this literary publication, to empower writers and readers with the knowledge and skills to lead meaningful lives and to advance social, economic, and environmental justice. We hope you enjoy!

Thoughts on The Wire, Writing, and Perspective

Levi Rogers
When I was nineteen, I began working on my first book. My…

A Poet Laureate, Jell-O, and Me

Rochelle Newman-Carrasco
“The shift from a manufacturing to a knowledge economy has…

Acts of Creation

Mary Birnbaum
On March first, the American astronaut Scott Kelly returned…

Unearthed Earth, Wind & Fire

Angela Bullock
Writing creative nonfiction presents a challenge: the task of…

On Writing Life’s Wounds: Elena Ferrante and Feminine Writing

Diana Odasso
“Life’s wounds are incurable and you write them and rewrite…

Catechism, Truth, and Creative Writing

Juliann Allison
I learned that truth may not depend on facts in a classroom…

On Patience, Grief

Levi Rogers
  Last Wednesday, a whitish-grey mixture of clouds…

The Mutability of Self

Alex Simand
"We rest. -- A dream has power to poison sleep; We rise. --…

Lower East Side Library: A Love Affair

Rochelle Newman-Carrasco
On November 18, 1966, I got my first library card. I had just…

Mere Mortals

Mary Birnbaum
I had lots of crushes on boys growing up. I might even have loved…

Honey West and the Truth

Angela Bullock
I’m a Boomer. Born in the mid-fifties, I’m a child of the…

The Problem With Remembering

Diana Odasso
Recently I wrote an essay about the summer of my fourteenth year,…

Barstow: A Love Story

Juliann Allison
I spent the first day of the new year in Barstow, a small city…

Writing and Mindfulness

Levi Rogers
I pulled into my snow covered driveway after a long day of…

Navigating Intersections in Panama City

Rochelle Newman-Carrasco
I have always been struck by the fluid lane-changes and cultural…

A Message to Myself on January 1, When I’m So Hungover

Mary Birnbaum
Hungover Mary Birnbaum of the future, I’m writing to you…

The Voices in Our Heads: Polyvocality, Power & Nnedi’s Lagoon

Francisco McCurry
When we speak or write, our voice is not the only one being (re)produced.…

Seeing Myself in Jane

Katy Avila
There was no possibility of picking up Jane Eyre from my nightstand.…

On Fear, and the Location of My Ass

Mary Birnbaum
I am the oldest of three sisters. My youngest sister, Lizzy,…
Stacie Chaiken's author's photo

Slowing Down #5 – Digging Deep

Stacie Chaiken
I’m writing-thinking about my time in Rwanda where I was one of the creative directors for the twentieth commemoration of that genocide.…

A Case for Emotional Truth

Lyndsay Hall
This much I know to be true: Hurricane Andrew made landfall near…

Writing: The Toolbox IX

Bettina Gilois
“Desperation is better than inspiration” I cannot write…

What Do You Do?

Alex Simand
I sit at a dinner table on the back patio of a French restaurant.…

Things I Accomplish on My Day Off in Order to Avoid Writing an Essay on Marriage

Mary Birnbaum
I lay in my daughter’s bed, where I’ve slept, for a long…

Slowing Down #4 – Getting Rid of Clutter

Stacie Chaiken
I try to write about rage, and old muck gets in the way. I’m…

On Learning to Fail

Lyndsay Hall
In fourth grade, my best friend Kimberly walked me—or rather,…

Writing: The Toolbox VIII

Bettina Gilois
We write in order to be read. We compose our thoughts, create…

Poetry For Prose

Alex Simand
"Everywhere I go I find a poet has been there before me." - Sigmund…

Get Hot

Mary Birnbaum
I stopped going to the dentist around the time I started…

Slowing Down #3 – Finding Safety on the Edge

Stacie Chaiken
  Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you…

This Is (Not) a Laughing Matter

Lyndsay Hall
I’m in therapy for an abusive relationship, but I spend most…

Writing: The Toolbox VII

Bettina Gilois
I recently taught a month-long intensive workshop called “Write…

Avoiding Fedoras: A Guide to Authentic Living

Alex Simand
The trope of the writer in a dusty room with his fingers teetering…

Late Love Letter

Mary Birnbaum
When I need a book, I call my mother first. She volunteers at…

Slowing Down #2 – Being Quiet

Stacie Chaiken
A few nights ago, I was on my way from Denver to Creede,…

A Handy Guide to Losing Your Imagination

Lyndsay Hall
“All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an…

Writing: The Toolbox VI

Bettina Gilois
Dialogue is an important ingredient to any good story. When characters…

On Umwelt and Writing About Family in Nonfiction

Alex Simand
When I was eight years old, my father brought home a rabbit.…

Note to Self

Mary Birnbaum
When I was pregnant with my first daughter, my social media photostream…

Slowing Down #1: Taking the Bus

Stacie Chaiken
During a two-hour question-and-answer session at our June residency,…

On Writing Outside Our Lived Experiences and Acting As Trans Allies

Lyndsay Hall
I met Wryly last June, when they were known as Wendy. This would…

Writing: The Toolbox V

Bettina Gilois
A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will…

How To Tell If You’re A Writer

Alex Simand
You might be a writer if all of your books are at the bottom…

A Third Path in the MFA v. NYC Debate

Arielle Silver
When my brother was little, his bedroom was a minefield of broken…

Nous Sommes Charlie (and Muhammad)?

Erin Anadkat
There was much debate around the PEN American Center’s…

Secret Gardens, House Finches, and Apricots: Finding Voice and Purpose In Mundane Moments

Kiandra Jimenez
To the right of my house, hidden past four raised beds of…

Making the Time Count

Heather Hewson
Lately, I have had a gnawing feeling. It is in my throat and…

Writing: The Toolbox IV

Bettina Gilois
Let’s talk. About dialogue. About speech. About sentences. As…

Heart Connections: Into and Beyond the Particular

Arielle Silver
I recently gathered with a small group of friends to watch a…

On Journals: The Journal of Jules Renard

Erin Anadkat
In the digital age, there is an incessant drive to “share”…

Clearing The Writer’s Garden of Weeds

Kiandra Jimenez
Over the past few weeks, my husband and I have set about…

Writing Centers

Heather Hewson
I just submitted the workshop packet for my third MFA residency…

Writing: The Toolbox III

Bettina Gilois
There’s more to writing than the writing itself, like there’s…

Mind Maps: The Bridge to Clarity

Arielle Silver
I walked into the house one night last week, my clothes soaked,…