Tom McAllister
Tom McAllister lives in Haddon Township, Jersey. One of his secret skills is that he knows where every broken meter is in his neighborhood and never pays for parking. His most recent book is It All Felt Impossible.
On Wheels
Last summer I took a free one-day course in nearby Philadelphia for adults who wanted to learn to ride a bike. The incident that finally pushed me over the edge was when my eight-year-old niece was riding in circles around me, baffled by my inability to do the same. She asked why I was afraid to do something so easy. And I was afraid: Of falling. Of looking foolish. Of struggling to even get on the seat at a public park and then throwing a tantrum while some teens recorded me on their phones. Mostly I was afraid of finding out how limited I really am.
September 2025On Wheels
Read an Essay from Our Upcoming September Issue
This essay will appear in It All Felt Impossible. Copyright © 2025. Reprinted by permission of Rose Metal Press.
Lawn Skeletons
As far as I know, the first house in the neighborhood to adopt a year-round skeleton display was a small Cape Cod a couple of blocks from me. The skeletons sat side by side, day after day, in their Adirondack chairs, holding hands as if starring in a Cialis commercial.
October 2023Has something we published moved you? Fired you up? Did we miss the mark? We’d love to hear about it.
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