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    • about ken
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    • Mountain Climbing for Beginners
  • the ronaissance
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  • second city
  • publication
    • Extraordinary Healers Vol. 7
  • media
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    • Costa Rica (June 2018)
    • Iceland (March 2020)
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ron stempkowski

  • the xanax diary
  • about ron
    • about ken
  • awards
    • Mountain Climbing for Beginners
  • the ronaissance
  • my faves
  • second city
  • publication
    • Extraordinary Healers Vol. 7
  • media
  • travel
    • Costa Rica (June 2018)
    • Iceland (March 2020)

ron stempkowski

love, loss, healing, and humor…in no particular order

  • the xanax diary
  • about ron
    • about ken
  • awards
    • Mountain Climbing for Beginners
  • the ronaissance
  • my faves
  • second city
  • publication
    • Extraordinary Healers Vol. 7
  • media
  • travel
    • Costa Rica (June 2018)
    • Iceland (March 2020)

Author: Ron Stempkowski

The Sanctuary of Sameness

The Sanctuary of Sameness

Posted on June 15, 2016May 14, 2022 by Ron Stempkowski
The first gay bar I ever went to in Chicago was a small but colorful neighborhood bar called Buddie’s. I’d found it wandering down Clark Street while my friend Denise, who had driven us th... Read More
Back to Class

Back to Class

Posted on May 18, 2016April 22, 2017 by Ron Stempkowski
I decided to take a writing class recently. There is an incredible writing school a couple of blocks away from my condo called Story Studio. I stumbled across it a few years ago during an open house t... Read More
Ten Years or a Blink?

Ten Years or a Blink?

Posted on May 1, 2016July 12, 2017 by Ron Stempkowski
As soon as the calendar turns to January, June 1 has traditionally been a magnet for my attention and emotion since it became the day Ken died in 2011. But this year May 1 leapt out at me. And I was s... Read More
The Ghost of Remington House

The Ghost of Remington House

Posted on February 28, 2016April 22, 2017 by Ron Stempkowski
My parents bought a Baptist Church when I was one to rehab it into our family home in the early 1970s. Growing up–upon hearing we lived in a former church–people always remarked about how... Read More
Dear, Diary...

Dear, Diary…

Posted on January 29, 2016April 22, 2017 by Ron Stempkowski
When I’m in the mood or just when I run across them on the shelf in my bedroom, I love to pull out one of my old diaries and read a few entries. It’s a portal to a different time. A different me. ... Read More
The Special of Today

The Special of Today

Posted on January 12, 2016April 22, 2017 by Ron Stempkowski
Today is my sister’s birthday. It always has been. As long as I’ve been on earth. It was the first thing I thought of today when I looked at the date on the calendar to medicate my dog Kal... Read More
Peter Comes Home with a Secret: A Story of Christmas, Coffee and Coming Out

Peter Comes Home with a Secret: A Story of Christmas, Coffee and Coming Out

Posted on December 14, 2015December 13, 2015 by Ron Stempkowski
Back in the days of only three broadcast networks, no one was in as big a rush as they are today. Commercials seemed epically long and some of them were like mini serials. Remember the Taster’s... Read More
5 Years of “The Xanax Diary”

5 Years of “The Xanax Diary”

Posted on December 7, 2015December 7, 2015 by Ron Stempkowski
It seems like I’ve always had this blog; that it has always been here to engage me and calm me and focus me and distract me. But I haven’t. I’ve always written for those reasons, bu... Read More
The Club No One Wants to Belong To

The Club No One Wants to Belong To

Posted on November 15, 2015October 14, 2017 by Ron Stempkowski
I’m lucky in that I only go downtown to work in my company’s office once or twice a week—or sometimes not at all. I’ve worked from home for the better portion of the last ten years. (I can’t... Read More
Running for Chocolate

Running for Chocolate

Posted on November 10, 2015November 12, 2015 by Ron Stempkowski
The Hot Chocolate 5k is the biggest race I’ve ever done—by far. I had my doubts about running in November in Chicago. But as Halloween gets packed up and put away and Thanksgiving and Christmas be... Read More
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Ron Stempkowski

Ron Stempkowski

I'm an award-winning essayist and audience-focused word ninja living in Chicago. I have a passion for storytelling with words and images/videos.

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