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ron stempkowski

  • home
  • the ink well
  • about ron
    • about ken
  • contact
  • awards
    • Mountain Climbing for Beginners
  • my faves
  • publication
    • Extraordinary Healers Vol. 7
  • newsletter
  • twisted plot paper
ron stempkowski

ron stempkowski

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

  • home
  • the ink well
  • about ron
    • about ken
  • contact
  • awards
    • Mountain Climbing for Beginners
  • my faves
  • publication
    • Extraordinary Healers Vol. 7
  • newsletter
  • twisted plot paper

Author: Ron Stempkowski

I'm an award-winning writer living in Chicago. I have a passion for writing, storytelling, and my dog.
Honoring the Day

Honoring the Day

Posted on June 2, 2019June 2, 2019 by Ron Stempkowski
June 1 used to feel like a prison of the worst kind. The kind I was forced to visit annually. And be held there for 24 hours, reliving the events of 2011 when Ken died. Dread for the following year be... Read More
The Return of Super Woman

The Return of Super Woman

Posted on May 27, 2019May 27, 2019 by Ron Stempkowski
When I walked into the Oncology Department of the hospital with my mom, we were greeted by a masked figure in a cape. It was my sister, Shelli. Or Super Woman as we’ve taken to calling her. I bought... Read More
When Bloggers Collide

When Bloggers Collide

Posted on April 25, 2019April 25, 2019 by Ron Stempkowski
Being a writer is foundational to who I am. It’s integral. And it’s given me gifts over the years, and certainly played a key part in helping me to work through my grief when Ken died in 2011.... Read More
Porcelain

Porcelain

Posted on March 23, 2019March 16, 2019 by Ron Stempkowski
Read More
The Warrior Queen

The Warrior Queen

Posted on December 5, 2018October 30, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski
I read a book called “Warrior Queens” in college, and attended an event hosted by the author, Lady Antonia Fraser, who discussed the topics of her book: women who defied history (and odds)... Read More
The First of the Firsts

The First of the Firsts

Posted on November 15, 2018 by Ron Stempkowski
My family has celebrated Thanksgiving early for so long, I don’t think we remember when we didn’t. It stemmed out of a long-standing tradition my parents started by taking a month before C... Read More
In the Tiny Moments

In the Tiny Moments

Posted on October 3, 2018 by Ron Stempkowski
Tears caught me off guard as I drove home from a weekend visit with my mom. I was passing Carmax where I’d met her a few days before. We’d agreed to meet there so she could drive Dad‘... Read More
The Power of the Ripple

The Power of the Ripple

Posted on September 25, 2018September 25, 2018 by Ron Stempkowski
I loved Ken, as did so many. He made me laugh, made feel special, never made me feel awkward in my awkwardness. I received a letter in the mail from a name I didn’t immediately recognize. Upon r... Read More
Celebration of a Lifetime

Celebration of a Lifetime

Posted on September 10, 2018September 10, 2018 by Ron Stempkowski
In so many ways, my dad was larger than life. A living legend, of sorts. The undisputed patriarch of a family who adorned and respected him. Stories about him have been legend for as long as I can rem... Read More
Like Father, Like Son

Like Father, Like Son

Posted on August 20, 2018August 20, 2018 by Ron Stempkowski
When my phone rang early Wednesday morning, I saw it was my sister Shelli. “Sweet,” I thought. “She scored the weed we wanted for Dad to see if it would give him an appetite!” ... Read More
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  • The Promise I Made Before He Died–and Why I’m Still Keeping It
    by Ron Stempkowski
    My upcoming book exists because of a promise. Ken was full of kindness, grace, and humor. So much so that...
  • The Year I Finally Say It Out Loud
    by Ron Stempkowski
    When I woke up on New Year’s Day 2026, the first words* out of my mouth were, “This is the...
  • Reflecting on 2025 with my New Year’s Eve Ritual
    by Ron Stempkowski
    It’s my fourth year, sitting with a stack of envelopes packed with selected memories from the past year since starting...
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