Nonfiction
April Come She Will
the dimming of the world dissipates. brightness flourishes longer. sounds are sweeter. *** at 16 i’m at a park in flip flops, embracing the gentle breeze on my face, and the dry pavement nestled underneath my toes. i sit on a swing, clutching its chains, ready to go higher and higher and higher. i tug […]
Guilt
My biological sister walked me through a maze of high-rises, down a sparsely treed street, across a parking lot, through a cluttered garage, and into a shoe-filled entryway where garlic, cabbage, and the sweat-addled pungency of age struck me with uncompromising insistence. After I removed my boots, I followed her down a dim hallway towards a jagged triangle of light, the yellow rays seeping from a small room on the left. Before we arrived, she turned to me and said, “Are you ready?
“You Won’t Believe How Good This Is”
on Nutella, desire, “Tasty,” and the natural state of humankind
The Unknowable: Writers On Death
Even if a writer dies pen in hand, he or she will not be able to write about what it is like to have died. Death is like an asymptote, something you can approach forever but never reach.
Blue Skies, Starry Starry Nights and Chalk
What does a ten-year-old know about being in love? When I was ten I knew I got a spacious feeling inside my chest when I lay on the grass looking at the blue California sky. I knew I felt like the world would never end when I smelled the ocean. And I knew something inside […]
Portrait of a thief, portrait of a lover
On Mistress America & writing about real people.
Passwords And Hard Drives
And how can I assist you today? Another few hours devoted to apple tech support. I cushion my desk chair, embracing the discussion ahead. It’s not exactly how envision this particular Wednesday afternoon, but my (fairly new) laptop, Millie, is acting strange. She needs the attention. My keyboard is playing mind games— keys that have […]
The Dynamic Decade That Is Your 20’s
In my 26th year, it’s hard not to note how the 20’s — this ever-in-influx, ‘emerging adulthood,’ decade — is pretty dynamic in all sorts of ways. I do not wish to preach, and I’m certainly not interested in doling out ‘this-is-what-you-have-to-do’ advice. However, I just thought I’d share insights I’ve picked up along the […]
Why I Loved the “Brooklyn” Sex Scene
1950s Irish immigrant drama? Yes, please.