Jessica Michael

ONE ART: a journal of poetry • 1st November 2022

The GO Order by Jessica Michael

They evacuate a town 20 miles south of here, as fire swallows gully after gully. I take a walk, count butterflies, ignore the plume that smears an entire quadrant of sky. I try not to think about the incompleteness of my bug-out bag— toothpaste without brush, money without license— the inadequacy of tires as lifesavers. I don’t want to know how twigs crack like bones, how smoke rakes through lungs, how trees are lungs. I need my haven, my nest of appointments kept. They

Oprelle Publications • 8th July 2022

"Matter" Poetry Contest - 2021 Winners!

If one day you drive across a bridge rinked with black ice the day after dreaming of your death as my mother did and it happens that the wheels slide from underneath and turning into the parabola fails to arrest the guardrail—

One • 30th November 2021

La Llorona

In Las Cruces, 500 miles south of my father’s last threat where everything blooming is crimson— we take dinner at the hacienda.

Poets Reading The News • 14th October 2020

Self-Immolation | Jessica Michael

On a Friday in Philadelphia 1,400 songbirds stormed the windows and dropped— skyscraper casualties, folded and clipped, a passing broom for requiem

AdventureShe Magazine • 1st March 2020

The Big Interview - Kristina Paltén - Running Solo Across Iran

Into the Void • 25th October 2019

The Brooklyn Miracle

Lazarus is tired of rising from the dead. Jesus has started yammering again about the good old days. The good old days, Lazarus says. You always end up murdered. But he doesn’t hear him, never does. He is prone to nostalgia—Lazarus can see memories of the adoring crowds of Galilee in the shine of his forehead. Lazarus is tending his orchids, the shade of sky in August light.

Red Fez • 7th July 2022

Archibald and the Mermaid by Jessica Michael

“I have known salmon to be particularly talkative during the full moon. The same cannot be said for tuna, who are notoriously closed-mouthed, so to speak. Unless, of course, one knows the right questions to ask about their ancestral history. They simply adore genealogy, and will go on for hours reciting bloodlines and the like. In fact, I once engaged a school of tuna in a discussion about a common ancestor and ended up missing the South Equatorial current to Brazil. I had to swim all the way to

Expedition Portal • 14th June 2018

First Annual Roverlander of the Year Winners

First Annual Roverlander of the Year Winners We here at Overland Journal and Expedition Portal love our canines. In fact, we’ve thought of making pup ownership a requirement for employment. Many of us have hiked, camped, and overlanded with our four-legged adventurers, so we were excited to read all of the stories and photos we received for our inaugural Roverlander of the Year contest. Winners of the Ruffwear goodies were decided based on the number of Facebook post likes because we knew there

Expedition Portal • 5th June 2018

Ruffwear Products for Your Roverlander

By Ruby the Adventure Dog Hi, I am Ruby, and I love adventure. That scar by my left eye was from a tussle with a rattlesnake! Read to the end to find out more about our first annual Roverlander of the Year contest and win some cool swag for your pup! If you’re going to be an adventure dog, you’d better sport the best gear. I decided to try out some of Ruffwear’s offerings on a recent trip to Comb Ridge, UT. The first part of any overland adventure is getting there, and sometimes for us pups,

Expedition Portal • 8th March 2018

International Women’s Day: Bertha Benz

In August of 1888, Bertha Benz loaded her two teenage sons into a Model III and headed 106 kilometers to visit her mother. This was no ordinary road trip—it was the first long-distance automobile adventure ever, and it changed the world. Benz was the wife and business partner of Karl Benz, the German engineer who invented the Benz-Patent Motorwagon. She was also his first and primary investor. As an unmarried woman, she originally invested in Karl’s failing iron construction company. When they

Rebelle Society • 26th September 2017

Salome: A Retelling of the Biblical Story. {fiction}

Long ago, the story of Salome and John the Baptist was recorded in the Bible. Legend tells that she performed the Dance of the Seven Veils for her stepfather, King Herod, on his birthday. This pleased him, and he gave an oath that she could ask him for whatever she wished. She consulted her mother, who instructed her to ask for the head of the king’s political prisoner, John the Baptist, on a platter — Salome’s mother bore a grudge against him for opposing her marriage. This is how Salome beca

Expedition Portal • 14th March 2017

Revolutionary Ride: In Search of the Real Iran

Iran teems with contradictions. Persian rugs are sold in bazaars next to knock-off American perfumes, chador covered women window shop for miniskirts, and the oppressiveness of the Islamic Republic is countered by the irrepressible optimism of its citizens. A country that’s been isolated by its own policies and years of Western sanctions (only recently lifted), Iran is cloaked in suspicion. Lois Pryce takes on theocracy, the passion of the Persian people, and her own preconceptions in Revolution

Expedition Portal • 8th March 2017

Women Adventurers Who Pioneered Overlanding

In celebration of International Women’s Day, Expedition Portal presents six women who have made adventure look classy, sassy, and badassy. Augusta and Adeline Van Buren: On July 4th, 1916, these two sisters took off from Brooklyn, NY on their respective 1,000 cc Indian Power Plus motorcycles and ended up in Los Angeles 60 days and 5,500 miles later. They were the first women to cross the continental United States solo by motorcycle, braving the harsh road conditions of the time, and counter

Expedition Portal • 17th February 2017

Women’s Travel Fest

The Women’s Travel Fest is coming up March 3-5 in New Orleans. This unique event is in its 4th year and features 20 speakers and a multitude of vendors. It also seeks to provide important opportunities for connection and networking between women in the travel community. It has sold out every year so far, aiming to bring valuable information and skills to solo women travellers, who may face distinct challenges as they journey. Founder Kelly Lewis began publishing her women-specific guidebooks Go

Expedition Portal • 22nd November 2016

Going Nomad

When John and Kristy Youngman lost their stillborn son, hitting the road seemed like the healthiest way to begin healing. “We had a lot to consider while he was still in my womb,” says Kristy. “We knew he had a genetic condition and would need surgery after his birth.” This specialized surgery was available only in Alberta, and so late in Kristy’s pregnancy, the couple put their house in British Columbia up for sale. “Our house sold the day we found out his heart had stopped.” Without a home or