Hope & Possibility
The Achilles Race had a name. It took me four miles to realize it was also an instruction.
Read More
How Hearing Loss Changed My Perspective on Sound
On losing my hearing, mishearing my way into better stories, and the tools I resisted before they gave me back more than they cost. Pick pocketers, a man named Jordie,…
Read More
The Marathon Training Plan I Abandoned and the One I Just Signed Up For
Last fall the Sober Sis community pulled me away from my running training plan. The eighth marathon happened anyway. Now there’s a ninth and a Tuesday 5:30am alarm.
Read More
The Day Before Tomorrow
In a high-rise elevator on Amsterdam Avenue, a 90-something neighbor with a fading memory stopped time and reminded us that today is the only day that matters.
Read MoreThe Tattoo I Wasn’t Supposed to Read
Hot yoga, a stranger’s tattoo in a place she could never see, and a quote that landed exactly when I needed it. On Godwinks, the ripple effect, and the quiet…
Read More
The Stage Before the Stage
Thirty years producing concerts in New York City, and a 16-year-old about to take the stage at Lincoln Center just stopped me in my tracks. On the magic of the…
Read More
Sober-Minded Living: What I’ve Learned Since Alcohol Left the Building
I stopped drinking in the Fall of 2024. This is not a recovery post. It’s about what actually showed up once the noise cleared and what I wish someone had…
Read More
Overcoming Life’s SNAGS: A Journey Through Obstacles
I’ve been calling them SNAGS this week. The stubborn, immovable, take-up-the-whole-road kind of obstacle. The Wine Witch had her usual offer. I counter-offered with soup dumplings. I won.
Read More
Navigating Life Lessons on a NYC Subway
A stranger named Brendan on a Brooklyn subway platform said exactly the right thing at exactly the right moment. On NYC connections, Mercury in retrograde, and the people who show…
Read MoreSomething went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Want to know when Camera Dark is ready? Subscribe and I’ll whisper it in your ear.
Iris Derke 