First Person
A Sort of Security Blanket
by Stephanie Kilen
December 13, 2006

It is the way the curtains are lifted by the breeze
the way they sigh like big bloused women who know something
It is their only purpose
that, and the 4 o'clock light
drenching the room in a sort of sweatv making us feel transparent
I imagine it will feel the same way when we are old
how could it change, really?
this karmic scene
played over and over
punctuated by street noise and your exhales
blushing my cheeks and painting my eyelashes

About the author:
I am a writer living in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Milwaukee, which is like a diverse, urban Lake Wobegon with an edge (because we live so close to each other and not many people hang curtains). I have written everything from newspaper articles on the annual racoon dinner to books on nursing home leadership reform. I have recently gotten back to poetry after recovering from the embarrassment of reading my own teenage angst poems. I live with my husband/co-conspirator and our fox hound/lab, the Bear, who is never more than three feet from my side.

GK's New Holiday Story
A comic novella about a Hawaii-bound holiday traveler who ends up stranded in his North Dakota hometown.

Read or Listen to the first chapter»
Audio edition also available»

Western Caribbean Cruise

The Prairie Home cruise has become legendary on two of the Seven Seas and now is setting sail on a third, a weeklong spring break cruise of the western Caribbean along the Mexican coast, and it leaves March 14 from Tampa.

More Information»

Pilgrims: A Wobegon Romance

Stories of a Wobegon romance far from home, all delivered with Garrison Keillor's trademark humor.

Read the first chapter»

Signed Copies Available»

Life Among the Lutherans

The latest collection of Lake Wobegon short stories gathered from live broadcasts include Confirmation Sunday, the church directory photos, Pastor Ingqvist's leather bound sermons along with song lyrics and the "95 Theses," among others. Companion audio also available.

Order now!»
American Public Media © |   Terms and Conditions   |   Privacy Policy