By Daniel Hooker On June 8th 1972, a young girl ran screaming in agony, her body engulfed in flames by bombs dropped full of napalm. The world would be forever changed by the Pulitzer Prize photograph of this. It was one of many horrific instances created by the insanity we call war. The young girl’s…
Island Voices, January 2026
Nothing Says “New” Like 1960
By Richard Odell I’ve always associated the 1940s with the color blue. Why, I don’t know. The 1930s I’ve seen always as dull green. Picture books, maybe, dated objects, impressed indelibly the child’s perception. That I associate the 1950s with black and white seems obvious enough, for the greater world first came to this child’s…
Island Voices, January 2026
“Just Throw Me in the Ground”
By Jane Valencia Larkspur Conservation Cemetery, Taylor Hollow, TN. Gravestone – photo by Jane Valencia Last year our family researched the possibility of home burial – you know, where, if you have land, you can bury your family the old-fashioned way. Dig a deep hole in the ground and lay your loved one in. Home…
Island Voices, January 2026
Gravity Is No Longer Our Friend
By Seán Malone and John Sweetman “Can you bring down my groceries from the Toyota?” Seán asked as I stopped by to visit. The path to Seán’s cabin is all uphill or downhill, depending upon one’s direction. I dragged a few bags out of the back of his pickup and brought them down the path…
Island Resilience, January 2026
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
By Stephen Buller Washington Governor Ferguson is championing a new “millionaire tax” as a way to address budget shortfalls and income inequality. Both of these are real and serious issues, but will yet another tax solve the problem? Let’s talk about this tax specifically and use it as a springboard to critique our overall tax…
Children, Fiction, January 2026
The Story of Tomtomtidimiddletom, Part 5
By Andy Valencia Previous parts of the story are available at vashonloop.com/tom/ Tom, the weed who accidentally rooted onto the bumper of a car, is on a long journey. Parked at a campground, he went to seed without dying, and is getting to know his new children. Tom spent the rest of the day teaching…
Entertainment, January 2026, Llaughing Llamas
Llaughing Llamas Chronicles – January
By Daniel Hooker I had to cut ties with an old friend who was dragging me down. Yup, mountain climbing is a hard sport. ~ I took a laxative before New Year’s Eve, just so I wouldn’t drag myself through the same manure as last year. ~ My friend made a suggestion for traveling free….
January 2026, Poetry
Poem From “Grief Age Love”
The following poem is included in a new anthology of poems written by over 30 Vashon poets, and edited by Jeanie Okimoto of Endicott and Hugh Books. January 1stby Roger Davies Now the gentle snowis resting on every branch. The dry wood burnswith a bright flame and there’s enough woodin the woodshedfor the winter. The…
January 2026, Photography
Happiness, Longevity,and Prosperity
By Claudia Hollander-Lucas Wishing you all Happiness, Longevity and Prosperity in 2026. Photo by Claudia Hollander-Lucas