Karyn J. Powers's Page

I grew up on Saturday morning superheroes. No matter what the crisis, no matter how evil the villain, there was always someone in tights and a cape that would swoop in to save the day. Nobody wanted to see Clark Kent unless he was ripping open his shirt to reveal Superman. I really connected with that image of knowing what to do and how to act under pressure.

In a large, neurotic family, I had plenty of opportunities to act in the midst of chaos. For a long time I thought crisis was the norm an… Continue

We just returned from a night at the local renovated opera house. There we saw a much-anticipated national comedian who delivered a wonderful show that was everything we hoped it would be …however (you knew that was coming).

Ten minutes into the main act an aroma that can best be described as late-season-bottom of the-gym-locker-sweat-soaked-sneaker announced itself. It was so strong I missed the punch line of one of the performer’s best efforts. There were three young men sitting behind us, bu… Continue

I recently spent some time in a small country cemetery staring at graves with my name on them. Until I saw it written in stone, I held fast to the assumption that ours was a rare and unique clan. Turns out we’re as common as table salt, if you know where to look.

In a small churchyard, in the bluff country above Winona, Minnesota sit smooth red granite monoliths side-by-side with ancient white obelisks and rough-cut black marble markers. Each as unique as the person buried below, but linked by… Continue

This was my first National Novel Writing Month attempt. Despite or maybe because of the challenges of the last month I was able to complete the 50,000 word challenge and posted 60, 261 to their official word counting site on the 18th. There's a knot between my shoulder blades that is not going to go away without professional help. My three year old yellow labrador retriever has stopped speaking to me. The dust bunnies in the house have officially declared themselves a new species and my husband… Continue

My father passed away today at 10:50 AM. He was a man who taught me to respect the rights, opinions and property of others, and that hate should be reserved for the evils of mankind, not the people. He welcomed everyone at his table and shared what he had. He was an explorer who embraced curiosity and decried blind obedience (except when he was trying to eat a meal with six children under the age of 11). He loved all women, but committed his life to just two.

A man born in a home for unwed moth… Continue