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The author's friends, Jack and Simone, performing at The Southern Cafe and Music Hall in Charlottesville, VA | Photo from Kaitlyn Rubertone

For The Music

By Kaitlyn Rubertone Think about this for a second: if you could do something for the rest of your life and make enough money to financially sustain yourself, what would it be?  When my colleague asked this question to us this summer, the answers varied from running flower shops and
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All reader-essay posts

Biking to class on the first day of sophomore year! | Photo from Dorothy Swanson Blaker

How to Lose the Game

By Dorothy Swanson Blaker When I got into the University of Oregon, I called my parents to “celebrate” my first acceptance letter. “Huge shocker… guess where I got in… UO!” I said, my voice laden with sarcasm. “Toootally my dream school!”  Whenever I say “I never expected I’d end
reader-essay
Photo by ThisisEngineering on Unsplash

The American numeracy crisis.

By Courtney Smith-Nelson Surprise! Pop quiz time. Can you solve the following problems without using Google or AI? (Don’t worry — calculators are allowed.) 1. If the price of a box of cereal increases from $4 to $5, what is the percent change in the price? If the price
reader-essay
He’s in Transition

He’s in Transition

By Leah Nairn Everyone loved my Dad. Lying there unable to speak, peeking through his eyelids, he was still everyone’s favorite. “Gotta say goodnight to grandpa,” one aide would say before she ended her shift — even though he’d never been a grandpa. I’ve never married nor had
reader-essay
Tick, Tick, Lyme

Tick, Tick, Lyme

By Rachael Hagerstrom In February 2023, three months into our relationship, Pfizer decided to break up with me. The company did this by way of two, no-nonsense letters. Pfizer tried to let me down gently. We are “temporarily paus[ing] all participant visits” they said initially. But we both
Reader essays
The Third Space: A Cure For America’s Loneliness Epidemic?

The Third Space: A Cure For America’s Loneliness Epidemic?

By Jac Cochran A recent study found that 57% of college students report feeling lonely. Almost everyone is aware of the mental health crisis among teenagers. Thousands of articles and TV segments have proposed causes ranging from smart phones to vaccines. But among all those theories, few have focused on
reader-essay
You’re Old! You’re Out!

You’re Old! You’re Out!

By Alden S. Blodget When I turned 60, I received a great birthday card. On the front was a referee blowing a whistle and shouting, “You’re old!” Inside was the same ref, thumb pointed over his shoulder, yelling, “You’re out!” And that’s pretty much the fate of
reader-essay
"I'm speaking — but is anyone listening?" | Photo from Meagan Fischer

Re-finding My Voice & Nuance After Cancel Culture

By Meagan Fischer I was honored to be invited to write a reader essay for Tangle a number of months ago, but I’ve been stuck on it for months. It normally wouldn’t be ‘good writing’ to start by sharing that, but in this case my trouble finding my
reader-essay
Image by https://www.magnific.com 

What It Really Takes to Be a Competitive Chess Player

By Anonymous A game of chess played in the open might appear to be a simple, quiet game, but most of the winning is actually done away from the board. Everything from training to recovery, sleeping, and travelling can affect a player’s performance. This holds regardless of whether the
reader-essay
A collage of featured images from our reader essays | Edited and compiled by Lindsey Knuth

The best of your best.

The Tangle staff picks our favorite reader essays.
Favorites

I am free, you are wage-slaves.

A response to "The Drifter's Lament," by A.M. Hickman. By Veronica Post
reader-essay
In defense of high school reunions.

In defense of high school reunions.

By James Breen This year marks the 20th anniversary of my graduation from high school.  That still seems weird to me, but what I think is weirder is the growing apathy about attending high school reunions. I graduated from one of the big high schools in the Northwest suburbs of
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