HeyJaredWriting the Real World
A memoirist reflects on what happens when relationships break, people die, your life turns upside down and you want to keep on living well.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 5
- Latest publication
- Sep 22, 2026
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- Earliest in this view
- Jul 6, 2026
Latest issues
The Fall Equinox (opens the original)
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The Autumnal Equinox occurs just after 5 o’clock this evening in California. September 22 marks the balance point between light and dark, when day and night are of equal length in the Northern hemisphere. At the same time, the sun moves from Virgo into Libra, represented by the scales of justice. In Greek mythology, it’s the time when the goddess Persephone prepares to return to the underworld, and her mother Demeter goes into mourning until Spring.Soon, I’ll be pulling my Happy Light out of sto
A Freakish Work of Genius (opens the original)
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Henri Matisse painted a portrait of his wife Amalie in 1905 following their summer holiday in the south of France. Femme au chapeau (Woman in a Hat), a riot of bold colors – a green slash for a nose, bands of brilliant orange on Amalie’s neck and hair, and a garish hat that towers beyond the edge of the upper canvas – ignited a scandal.It provoked ridicule and derision when it was exhibited in Paris that October. The public outcry centered on what many saw as clashing colors (“A bucket of paint
Hurray! You’re here. (opens the original)
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Welcome to “Writing the Real World!” I’m glad you’re here. This life journey is endlessly fascinating, often challenging, and always up for discussion - so please join in. Follow, subscribe, support my work with a paid subscription if that makes sense for you. Comment. Share. Let’s keep talking. Let’s keep it real!<a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!inYA!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.
Summer of Love (opens the original)
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When I say I’m just back from my 60th high school reunion (Euclid Senior High School class of 1966 - Go Panthers!) reactions range from stunned, to aghast, to nods of appreciation. But reunion junkies like me are pretty rare. Out of a graduating class of almost 1,000, only 110 of us showed up - a reasonable percentage given that six decades have passed. My fascination with reunions began at our 20th in 1986. Several classmates buttonholed me to apologize for slights - mostly forgotten - back whe
A Rom Com, a Saved Voice Mail, and my Larger-than-life Dad (opens the original)
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Voicemails for Isabelle is number one on Netflix provoking a KQED Forum interview with its writer-director, the actress and screenwriter Leah McKendrick. I am generally not a fan of the modern Rom Com, but I’m a huge fan of Forum’s host Alexis Madrigal, which kept me listening longer than I planned. In the course of a sixty-minute episode I fell under M… Read more
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