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    • Costa Rica (June 2018)
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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)

Category: Moving Forward

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
Grateful

Grateful

Posted on March 23, 2015July 12, 2017 by Ron Stempkowski
I didn’t dread today. And that didn’t surprise me. It didn’t take me by surprise. And that didn’t surprise me either. I feel something very special. Ethereal. When I look at th... Read More
My Awkward Acquaintance

My Awkward Acquaintance

Posted on June 1, 2014May 14, 2022 by Ron Stempkowski
June 1 is crisp. Somehow compact and rigid. It sits right at the promise of summer. It can barely contain its toothy smile in light of all the bounty it will bear. Almost smug. But it can’t help... Read More
Garden Variety Blog Post

Garden Variety Blog Post

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Ron Stempkowski
I planted my garden last weekend. Really, more potted than planted. Gone are the days of the sprawling garden in the backyard yard of the apartment on Cuyler Avenue, and figuring out what to plant and... Read More
My Extraordinary Photo Shoot

My Extraordinary Photo Shoot

Posted on May 4, 2014 by Ron Stempkowski
  My greatest dream since age thirteen–when I discovered my love of writing–was to be a published author. Back then, I wanted to be a novelist, creator of gripping, over-the-top drama... Read More
Incredible Feets of Astonishment

Incredible Feets of Astonishment

Posted on April 26, 2014July 12, 2017 by Ron Stempkowski
A gigantic part of Ken’s identity was his left leg…er…lack of one. After having it amputated below the knee when he was a teen was life-defining–and I’ve written before&... Read More
Closing Time…

Closing Time…

Posted on March 2, 2014July 12, 2017 by Ron Stempkowski
“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end” are lyrics to a song I always found profoundly deep (and from which I took the name of this blog). There was a time when I... Read More
Full Steam Ahead

Full Steam Ahead

Posted on December 16, 2013July 12, 2017 by Ron Stempkowski
I’m moving. Aside from the Christmas cheer in the air there is also one of excitement. For change. And an equal measure of dread for the same. The normal dread of change. As well as the other ki... Read More
His Foot Left, But the Show Went On

His Foot Left, But the Show Went On

Posted on November 23, 2013 by Ron Stempkowski
I was going through a book case earlier this week and ran across this: The very first time I met Ken in January of 2001, one of the random things we shared in common was our improv training–thou... Read More
The Ebb and Flow

The Ebb and Flow

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Ron Stempkowski
Examining my life–observing it–and writing about it have been a staple for me since starting this blog in 2010. I think it’s what writers do. We tell stories–whether fiction or... 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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