Ron Stempkowski, Author at ron stempkowski

There’s No Place Like It

Posted on July 10, 2016January 27, 2017 by Ron Stempkowski

There is no doubt how much I love living in Chicago; how much I love my home and my neighborhood. But when I have a little time off, there is something I love about going to my hometown to see my folk... Read More

My Past and Present with Pride

Posted on June 30, 2016April 22, 2017 by Ron Stempkowski

As I talked with my friends and enjoyed the community and fellowship of my first Pride event–on the Circle in Indianapolis–a man walked slowly and deliberately through the celebration. ... Read More

Safe Spaces & Being Your Authentic Self

Posted on June 23, 2016April 22, 2017 by Ron Stempkowski

While on the L heading to work last week, I received a tweet from a BBC reporter who wanted my input about why LGBT people view gay bars/clubs as safe spaces. In the wake of the Orlando shootings,... Read More

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

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?

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

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…

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

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

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

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