Barb Dukeman
Bio
I have three books published on Amazon if you want to read more. I have shorter pieces (less than 600 words at https://barbdukeman.substack.com/. Subscribe today if you like what you read here or just say Hi.
Achievements (13)
Stories (200)
Filter by community
The More I Lose, the More I Win. Content Warning.
This is not a typical essay on weight loss. I am not a typical person. Don’t expect recipes for darling cupcakes made of cauliflower and kale. I am stubborn, smart aleky, protective, immature, sincere, intelligent, intuitive, and sometimes a pain to be around. You should learn from my mistakes. Also understand I am NOT a physician and have NO medical background whatsoever. You should always check with your doctor before you change anything in your life regarding your health, like skydiving or maybe having that weird mole checked out while you’re there.
By Barb Dukeman2 years ago in Confessions
No Oasis. Top Story - November 2023.
I’d fallen off the wagon, again, and felt ashamed of all that I had done to hurt my family. I was just fifteen years old when I had my first rum and Coke at a Las Vegas casino. It didn’t help that my parents had a well-stocked liquor cabinet at home. That began my lifelong misery of fighting and losing, getting my AA tokens, hitting the liquor store after a meeting with money I “borrowed.” Something about the intoxication seemed to be the anchor to my soul; nothing else could match it. Addiction is a disease, and I was fully infected.
By Barb Dukeman2 years ago in Futurism
Helena's End
Smoke curling through the pale orange sky over the distant hill indicated to Helena that morning was on the horizon. The fires provided warmth for the remnants of that small village whose people hunted for rats or squirrels, cooking them over crude stone pits and metal grates. Sand stretched in either direction, making supplies difficult to obtain. In the distance, Helena had become a scavenger as well, digging through the heaps of destruction that occurred when one world state clashed with the other years ago. The war yielded no winners, only broken people, pawns struggling to survive.
By Barb Dukeman2 years ago in Futurism
The Effect of the Green Socks. First Place in Writers Challenge. Top Story - August 2023.
She preferred to be called THE Rankin instead of Mrs. Rankin. It seemed odd to us in her eighth-grade gifted class to be called by just her surname, but she also wasn’t your average caffeinated teacher. She was assuredly one of those souls so far outside the box she wasn’t even in the same state as the box. Her honey-sweet Alabama accent made our small class feel like home. Best class ever.
By Barb Dukeman3 years ago in Writers
Soul Sisters
My soul sister and I first met in 1988, and we’ve taken such journeys together. In my third year of university, I enrolled in American Literature 1850-1920. As a literature class of that caliber should, it covered authors such as Twain, Hawthorne, Melville, Faulkner, and Alger. One author I was unfamiliar with was Kate Chopin. We were assigned to read The Awakening.
By Barb Dukeman3 years ago in BookClub
Phaedra's First Escape
Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. Space, however, can still be created from nothing and exist with or without matter. Since the origin of the universe, entropy and rebirth have been the force behind galaxies, new ones being created and others disappearing into black holes in complete silence or supernovas in an utter cacophony of chaos. In one spiral galaxy, a series of planets orbited a star, and one of these planets gave rise to life. The space around them had yet to be explored, but with each new satellite and telescope these life forms sent out, the possibility of finding life elsewhere became more probable.
By Barb Dukeman4 years ago in Futurism
Coruja's Adventure
A cool December morning opened, and I tossed raw peanuts and seed to feed the local crows and blue jays. They often heard me opening the crinkly bags before I came outside to feed them. My 5-year-old tagged along, wanting to see the birds gather before her. Delighted in any kind of animal, Coruja Pássaro enjoyed the birds flapping in the high branches, waiting for their treat.
By Barb Dukeman4 years ago in Fiction
Bo's New Freedom
It’s in his haunted eyes. When I drove to the city an hour away, the anticipation of meeting our new dog was filled with wavering trepidation. There were three sweet beagles available for adoption through the Beagle Rescue: all three cute as a button. They had their stories, their photos, their details pasted on the front page of the website like a dating site. Bo’s face was turned a little to the side, and I could just make out the speckles that identify him as a beagle. His backstory is what sealed the deal for me.
By Barb Dukeman4 years ago in Petlife
