By Nathan Coker
In Features
Apr 1st, 2026
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29 Views
article by MEREDITH MCKINNIE I’m entering one of my restless periods, where I crash out on routine and crave stimulation and surprise. I’m reacting like I normally do, abandoning anything that feels normal or familiar and diving into the unknown. I’ve shaken up my workouts, my meals, my afternoon sch...
By Nathan Coker
In Features
Mar 2nd, 2026
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94 Views
article by MEREDITH MCKINNIE I once wrote about my fears for my children as they socially interact without me, how I winced on the playground, suppressing the impact to protect them from peer disappointment. Notably, I do not have this instinct with physical play, as I’m the last to think they should...
By Nathan Coker
In Features
Feb 2nd, 2026
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520 Views
article by MEREDITH MCKINNIE Over the course of my two decades in academia, I’ve benefitted from the oversight of unique personalities. I don’t think of myself as a traditional academic, and I’ve found, neither do many of my academic peers. In higher ed, like in other career paths, imposter syndrome ...
By Nathan Coker
In Features
Jan 5th, 2026
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234 Views
Article by MEREDITH MCKINNIE This January marks three years without my little sister Bonnie. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, her name came up, as it often does. I commented that I was getting used to holidays without her, and that the normalization of her absence felt unjust somehow. I no longer antic...
By Nathan Coker
In Meredith's Musings
Dec 1st, 2025
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479 Views
Article by MEREDITH MCKINNIE Before the Amazon takeover of commercial shopping, Black Friday meant early Thanksgiving bedtimes, 2 a.m. wakeup calls, and endless lines, all in the pursuit of a “Black Friday deal” – or so it did for many. Mom and I, being the rebels we still are, refused to parti...
By Nathan Coker
In Meredith's Musings
Oct 31st, 2025
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216 Views
Article By Meredith Mckinnie My childhood memories are a random montage of moments – notably, hugs, smiles, and laughter – the roots of positive communication. If we did anything well in my family, we certainly found any available humor. Laughter was, and still is, our universal language....
By Nathan Coker
In Meredith's Musings
Oct 1st, 2025
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369 Views
article by MEREDITH MCKINNIE I walk every morning, first thing before I get my day started. During the school year, I went out before the sun came up. Husband worried about my safety and started coming along – a win for me as I know he appreciates the exercise as much as I do. I so […]...
By Nathan Coker
In Meredith's Musings
Aug 28th, 2025
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271 Views
article by MEREDITH MCKINNIE I sometimes joke with my dad that he should have been a professor. He lectures everyone incessantly. And his extemporaneous speeches are not always negative, but definitely impassioned. For whatever reason, he’s focused on this tree/topic, and by golly, he’s going to clim...
By Nathan Coker
In Meredith's Musings
Jul 30th, 2025
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294 Views
article by MEREDITH MCKINNIE Mom tells this anecdote about my reading habits as a child. I read everything, everywhere, and all at once. I left books by my bed, in the bathroom, in my bookbag, wherever I last perched and indulged escapism. I read multiple books at one time, not so much selecting a ti...
By Nathan Coker
In Meredith's Musings
Jul 1st, 2025
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1619 Views
article by MEREDITH MCKINNIE Perhaps it’s a sign of a privileged life, but I first felt like an adult when I flew across the country alone. I remember exiting the plane at O’Hare International, walking under all the colorful flags and thinking, “It’s all on me.” To be clear, I was a gasp away from [&...
