Top Stories
New stories you’ll love, handpicked for you by our team and updated daily.
Mid-Life Crisis?
Happy birthday. Your life is half over. What now? On November 2, I woke up to find I had turned 45. I'm not quite sure how that happened; I swear yesterday I was still in my thirties. But I did the math, and I am in fact 45. By quickly reviewing my family history, I confirmed my fears. My father, grandmother, and two great-grandparents only lived to their mid-sixties, two great-grandparents hit their late seventies, my other grandma and both grandpas died in their mid-eighties, two Great-Grandparents got to 88, another to 89, and one made it all the way to 90. Based on those statistics, it's a safe, and sobering, assumption that my sojourn here on earth is half over, and that's being optimistic. So as one often does at this stage of life, I felt the day called for a little self-reflection. What have I done with my first 45 years and what do I plan to do with the next?
By A. J. Schoenfeld3 months ago in Humans
a small bit of twine. Runner-Up in Maps of the Self Challenge.
~ A small bit of twine twisted around my wrist, embedding in my skin. I think the year was 1982. I didn't notice it at first until I felt the first tug pulling my small body in a direction I didn't want to go.
By Heather Hubler3 months ago in Humans
FPS: The Sound of First Frost Challenge Winners
For The Sound of First Frost, we asked you to tune into the subtle shift where autumn fades and winter begins. That in-between time when the air turns sharper, the light leans paler, and everything, from sound, to scent, to texture, feels just a little different.
By Vocal Curation Team3 months ago in Resources
The Miss Gloria Hour with Guest: Ziggy
The Board Meeting “I have one last comment before this meeting adjourns,” Jason Pooper said. “Gloria, the glamorous makeup without your glasses received very low ratings. Put your glasses back on. People want your classic look.”
By Rick Henry Christopher 3 months ago in Humor
The Path from Destruction
So I'm "here," parked in Joe Pye Weed Field on a warm October night, with Kenny, Nate, and Mark, three friends I've known since childhood. We're all in our early twenties. It's 1988. There's plenty of Budweiser and cheap vodka going around.
By John R. Godwin3 months ago in Humans
The Duelist
The rays of a dying red sun flashed against the onrushing blade. The grey beards say the key to dueling lies in size, speed, reach, righteous fury, whatever the person in front of them pays them to say. Matteo knew better than any it was none of these and had an undefeated record on these sands to prove it.
By Matthew J. Fromm29 days ago in Fiction
📢 Raise Your Voice Thread: 11/20/2025
Our “Raise Your Voice Threads” are hosted most alternating Thursdays at 12PM ET to offer creators more avenues to uncover exceptional stories on Vocal. As we are continuously searching for fresh creators and inspiring stories, this thread provides an opportunity to exchange and discuss the stories that have moved and motivated us on Vocal.
By Raise Your Voice by Vocal3 months ago in Resources
Dear Author
Today I read a Dear Abby column that really bugged me. It was about a woman whose best friend of thirty years abruptly stopped speaking to her because of differing political beliefs. They supported opposing parties, and her friend ended their relationship over it. The writer was hurt, but she hoped that there would be a way to work things out. When the friend had a grandchild, she wrote her a text congratulating her. Her friend responded with a "Who's this?" Our writer was ravaged and wrote the Dear Abby letter, and Abby's response was rather lacking.
By Stephanie Van Orman3 months ago in The Swamp
