Creative-nonfiction Stories

In the 1990s, little girls at the age of eight to ten tinker with dolls or prance in a game of house. We lived in our magical castles, wishing on a starry night for a prince to appear at our windows. We twirl to musicals, throw desserts in the oven with our mother's, and embellish tables for every meal. We played 'dress up', slipped into gowns and tiaras, smeared lipstick on, and dabbed smelly glitter on our cheeks and temples for fairy teacup parties. There are very little happy memories of my childhood. I reflect on my younger years as if I'd been imprisoned in a cave, captive to darkness only to feel my way out for school during the day. But that isn't entirely true. To escape the shadows, I played my own game called, 'dress up family'. My 'dress up family' are wisps of glistening golden light, shining through in my memories, like iridescent reflections of passing water. Swift in their brilliance, before dropping me cold, cold, cold in the shadows. I have an older sister in my 'dress up family', with two parents: one mom, one dad. My 'dress up' mom served me pasta and apple juice in a wine glass. My 'dress up' father taught me patience, and stoic devotion. My 'dress up' sister made me love her unconditionally. During the day, free from the arms of the shadows embrace, I bounded in the suburban sunlight with my 'dress up' sister. We journeyed to the private elementary school that my 'dress up' parents enrolled us in, rode horses in the rain and snow, and marveled at the emerging evening sky of glitter above us. But at the end of the day, at the end of my 'dress up' spell, I wished my 'dress up family' goodnight and reentered the shadows of my cold, cold, cold home again.

A story about a girl's life and her challenges and problems she has to overcome.

A single gunshot ignites a war neither side wanted. A Khmer soldier named Panharith fights to survive. Sokmaly, his wife, hold into hope amid chaos consumes her world. The War Within is a tale of love, loss, and the unwavering spirit of Cambodia set against a backdrop of propaganda and shattered truths.

"The Marlin" is a true short story in creative nonfiction style, set in the mid-1980s. Some names are changed but the rest is completely factual. It's about a couple in their thirties who loved to fish and cruise in the Pacific Ocean on their Grand Banks 32, a classic, diesel trawler-style, wooden yacht. They lived in Southern California, where surrounding waters of the blue Pacific offered them year-round fishing and cruising to surrounding, offshore islands. As the warmer months unfurled each year, Evan and Jess spent most of their time on their boat, Tin Hau, fishing and cruising the coastal region near San Diego, when they weren't working their jobs or doing maintenance the boat required. On the particular day of this story, they encountered an astonishing surprise; one that challenged them to the limit but would prove quite rewarding if they could prevail with Fate's charge. Odds were against them all the way. This is the story of how that day unfurled as they took the task, stood up to the difficulties and dangers, and fought to win with all the strength and wit they could muster. It's a fishing adventure on the high seas. Read the story now to find out how it went and how it turned out, given what they faced. "The Marlin" is published as the first chapter of the collection "Sea Goddess" by Joseph Riden, available on Amazon.com

A snowstorm sweeps through Seattle, wrapping the world in silence. While the rest of her family drives back to the reservation, a girl and her brother stay behind - cooking for themselves, answering phone calls, learning independence earlier than kids should have to. Out in the quiet winter night, she realizes something simple and startling: sometimes distance is safer than belonging - and silence can say everything. A short memoir-style piece about family, identity, and the strange peace that comes with snow.