I stood, brushing off some of the mud that was beginning to cake on—effort in vain. “Since when did this jaded old curmudgeon care to drink the poison of nostalgia?” I remember saying to myself. As you can see, I’m in my late thirties, but the rest of the self-reflection was accurate. I breathed in the muck of the lake once again, tears dried, heart resolute, knowing it could be the last. “Well, Sisyphus,” thankfully, my parents were not so cruel as to name me such, “you know the insanity of the world. Perhaps it is time to embrace the absurd.”

Matthew D Albertson

Welcome to a new episode of Stories and Stanza! We're excited to have you here. Please join me in welcoming Matthew as a guest. He started writing not long ago but writes beautiful prose and poetry. We will hear him talk about his creative journey, how he believes rejections strengthen him as a writer, and some of his wonderful prose and poetry that he has shared in this discussion.