Our parents are always our parents, in closeness or distance, for better or worse. Cutleaf writers here look closely at living with and losing their parents.

Sometimes we leave home for adventure, and sometimes the trip itself is more adventure than we expected. We travel to escape or to discover, as Cutleaf writers demonstrate.

The end always comes, expected or not. In these pieces, Cutleaf writers wrestle with the meaning and effects of our mortality.

Here, Cutleaf writers consider what we eat, where we eat it, and the many traditions and meanings associated with food.

Fathers have the responsibility for our children, but also the worry and heartache. Here, Cutleaf writers navigate the path of fatherhood.

The animals we invite into our lives take on a wide range of identities. Cutleaf writers have explored the meaning of their pets, real or otherwise, in three essays about getting and keeping the animal presence in their lives.