HeyJaredDispatch from Bewilderness
Nominated for Best American Essay and Pushcart Prize. Proudly niche since 2006 in posts of 2 minutes or less. A Substack Bestseller in Literature. Subscribe FREE as long as Substack allows. No cost. No risk. No obligation.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 14
- Latest publication
- Sep 28, 2026
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- Earliest in this view
- Aug 21, 2026
Latest issues
Replacement parts (opens the original)
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I’m in a waiting room. Here’s what I see.Chairs, a fish tank, a sign that says PLEASE ALERT STAFF IF YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING MORE THAN.That’s it. Just “more than” on the note.Forest Lakes administers fun and culture in appropriate doses. Not too little, not too much. Some of us sleep too much, decline invitations, juggle just about nothing.My friend Del says she’s dissolving and so is everything else. She reaches for my hand.My friend Willa says she is not losing her memory. Her memory is losing h
Honesty stands (opens the original)
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In the 19 years since I lost my life, I’ve been pretty busy. I mean, in the 19 years since I lost the life I had, which was propelled by my former mind. This brings us to the second floor New York’s Chinatown, about 35 years ago. I was working as a ghost for someone quite famous then and he used a code name. I was in the apartment, though, to visit my friend, Barlow, who was renting it, and I stood behind him as he opened his laptop. And what do you think I saw? I saw an email to Barlow from the
Kodachrome days (opens the original)
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Freelance writing is like that scene from Aladdin where the cave collapses, and Aladdin leaps from rock to rock as everything falls into lava. First will come agents. Maybe. They will say “There are no likeable characters!” or “There are no characters” or “This person is dead on Page 52 but alive again on Page 105.” Or “Is this supposed to be funny?”Or:Shape itPrune itGrow itSlow itSpeed it upOr nothing at all.The vast majority of human
Romance (opens the original)
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Combine Downton Abbey and Titanic, then add a touch of Gone With the Wind, and you’ve somewhat conjured Forest Lakes. Director David O. Selznick had Atlanta to burn, and Director James Cameron had a ship to sink while CCRC’s, rather LPCs, have ships to steer as residents are swept away by age. One LPC was built where there had been a cattle ranch and a resident got stuck in a cow grid. One was built where there used to be a pet resort. It was called Crate Expectations. I’m just making th
Disorganized conduct (opens the original)
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In my first life, I was invisible. That was called being a ghost. Lines were drawn by the client/icon/character. I could pick any colors, as long as they were pastels or whatever colors they chose. The character/client/icon had “histories,” real or imagined. I just invented nuance. And words. I wasn’t the second fiddle. I was the 22nd fiddle, or even lower than that. I was in the parking lot, holding someone else’s violin case. The frame of reference was staggering. It could include Elmo, Martha
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