Sharing The Spotlight

I took a little break from this series because of a weird comment I got asking how much money this series was generating for me. It made me feel icky. Let me be clear, I do not do this for financial gain. Yes, I DO get compensated like everyone else for my reads. That said, this isn't my most lucrative story. I do this to give some attention to any one I mention here. I enjoy sharing other people's work and supporting the Vocal community in the ways that I can. This is one of those ways- attempting to generate a little bit of traffic someone else's way. I am not the most popular creator on Vocal. I don't have a gigantic following of avid readers, but the ones I do have are a super cool group of humans who I love and appreciate. They are very supportive members of the community and seem to enjoy this little series I've created.

Writing this helps me read in communities I never really paid much attention to, and I have found some of the coolest stories in my hunt to recognize each community. If it bothers you that I mention you here, let me know and I will remove your story link. I am not trying to use your work for fianancial gain. I am genuinely just trying to support other members of our community.

Ok, now that I've gotten that out of the way, welcome to part four of my series, "Sharing the Spotlight"! If you're new here and interested in reading any other stories I have mentioned (which were all great btw!) You can check out part one here:

Part 2 here:

Annnnd part 3 here:

Ok, Twelve communities, twelve stories!

Proof

1.) Miranda O'Conner- Weird Drinking Laws in America

Starting out strong with this piece by Miranda O'Conner. She actually made me laugh out loud and I learned a few things I didn't already know. Thoroughly enjoyed this story!

Psyche

2.) David Heitz- What fentanyl users want you to know

This one was personal for me. I am a statistic. In the city I grew up in, quite nearly everyone uses drugs. I was even told at a young age that I would as well. Thankfully, I didn't. I was able to beat the system and get out mostly unscathed. That's not the case for many others. I've lost a lot of friends and the family I was born into is in shambles because of addicts. A great read, but also sad.

Serve

3.) Cato Conroy- What Is Veteran's Day?

This is a lovely piece about the importance of Veterans Day and why we celebrate. A good reminder to thank a veteran today and every day.

Styled

4.) Nicola P. Young- Most Inspiring Fashion Quotes of All Time

Some of these quotes I hadn't heard but some were some of my favorite quotes of all time! Lovely little article.

Chain

5.) MUHAMMAD SHAFIE- Crypto Scams Explained: Tracing Funds on the Blockchain

Look, I'm not even gonna pretend like I know a single thing about Bitcoin, I don't. But this article seemed pretty informative for those who may need it... and wasn't marked as AI generated. If you use Bitcoin, maybe it will help you.

Swamp

6.) Autumn Stew- Capitalism Ate the Internet (and I'm Still Hungry)

Immediately, yes. The way I wish we could all just go back to saying things like, "Let's get some shoes." and "LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!" May be one of the best and most relatable stories I have ever read here.

Trader

7.) Ossiana Tepfenhart- 10 Simple Ways To Get Out Of Debt

I'm sure I'm not the only one who gained knowledge from this article. Buying groceries for my family in today's economy is a debt in its own right.

Unbalanced

8.) Logan M. Snyder- When Recovery Becomes a Violation

Another time I'm going to admit to not knowing a whole lot about the subject, but still, I recognize a nicely written article.

Viva

9.) Natasha Smith- Domestic Abuse & Me

I clicked for the art work. I stayed for the story. As someone who has been in these shoes, I resonated with her work. A beautiful and inspiring story from a survivor.

Wander

10.) Kristen Barenthaler- Stephen King in Maine

I didn't even know this existed! But I wanna go now. I'm an avid Stephen King fan. Like the author, I was introduced to his work as a small child and he's been one of my favorites my whole life.

Wheel

11.) Skunk Uzeki- Whatever Happened To The 'Pimp My Ride' Cars?

I never even thought about what happened to the cars after the show, but now I know and I wish I could say I was shocked by the outcome, but reality TV isn't really reality.

Writers

12.) Ellen Frances- If You Write A Book, Don’t Tell Anyone

The way I related so hard to this. I have two published books and they were mostly bought by strangers and online friends. Not family. Most family wanted to know when I would go viral and if I would become a millionaire. Friends purchased to support. Even my best friend has purchased exactly 0 copies of either book. Sad that our support system isn't ever the people we think it should be.

Welp, that's it for the round. I hope you enjoyed reading these stories as much as I did or atleast learned something you didn't already know (like I did).

This is probably my last installment of this series. I have enjoyed the ride, but not the accusation of exploiting people for monetary gain. My intentions were always pure- and as another reminder, if you see that I have featured your work and would like me to remove it, just let me know and I will!

-Sara