Posts by Christina Consolino
An Interview with Andrew Walsh
This past summer, I had the pleasure of meeting Andrew Walsh and his book, Lost Dayton, Ohio, at an event sponsored by the Woodbourne Library in Centerville, Ohio. Andrew is a librarian at Sinclair Community College here in Dayton, and the book is chock full of interesting historical details and photographs from sites “that represent…
Read MoreSunscreen, Shinguards, and Cleats, Oh My!
Aaron is playing on the junior varsity high school soccer team this year. I can’t remember how many years he’s been playing soccer. Maybe ten? I think his soccer days date back to when he was four and first entered the little recreation leagues we have out here. Since then, he’s moved onto more competitive…
Read MoreThe Battle
The battle began when someone told someone to tell Maggie about a class description that needed to be posted. The whole chain of command issue—why wasn’t the head “someone” coming right to her?—should have tipped Maggie off. But it didn’t. And after she’d crossed her t’s and dotted her i’s, made sure that the description…
Read MoreThe Fourth Child (Eleven)
With your first children, it’s easy. You schedule every detail about their birthdays, whether a party is planned or not. You cook them all their favorite meals. You wrap their presents two weeks in advance and buy special plates and napkins. You design a cake just for them. With your fourth child, you have the…
Read MoreAn Interview with Meredith Doench
Meredith Doench has a mission: “I want my writing to contribute to the growing collection of voices that say all stories matter regardless of the character’s sexuality, gender, religion, race, or class,” she says. “Every life counts; we need to be able to recognize ourselves in literature and film.” And contribute she does, both with…
Read MoreAll’s Well That Ends Well
Almost a week ago now, our local paper featured a feel-good story on one of the city’s public high school graduates. It’s been shared all over social media, and the school system has been proud to showcase it on Facebook and Twitter. The story begins like this: “Eighteen years ago, Cate O’Malley was a helpless…
Read MoreScottish Date Cake
I have no idea where this recipe actually came from, but it’s one that Tim found after eating something similar at a restaurant back in Ann Arbor. “We can’t share our recipe,” the owner said, “but I can tell you that if you search for XYZ, you’ll find something similar.” I don’t remember what XYZ…
Read MoreAn Interview with Tim Waggoner
At the top of Dayton-area writer Tim Waggoner’s website is a quote from Dayton.com that reads: “Stephen King meets Franz Kafka.” To be compared to two literary greats like those is quite an accomplishment, but Tim seems to take it all in stride. I met him once at a LitSalon for the Antioch Writers’ Workshop,…
Read MoreAnatomy of a Breakup
Daisy had worked at the college for over thirteen years, all in a part-time capacity. During those years, she’d begun to raise to her family, added to that family, and thought about whether or not teaching as a profession would turn out to be her calling. The woman who hired her—the bright, gregarious sort with…
Read MoreAn Interview with Ben Berman
Ben Berman‘s name first crossed my desk about two years ago when Literary Mama decided to feature him in our Father’s Day issue. At the time, I remember being impressed with his ability to write poetry that spoke to me as well as his experiences traveling, something that’s featured in his work. He’s the author…
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