I am gender nonconforming. I tried writing this blogpost over and over again in different ways, starting with different stories, taking different tones, but in the end I just needed to say it. I have never felt the categories of "male" or "female" fully encapsulated who I am. As a child, I idolized Amelia Earhart, … Continue reading Stay Alive
Literary Taxidermy Honorable Mention
I was recently chosen as one of the honorable mentions for the 2018 Literary Taxidermy Short Story competition. Hooray! The Literary Taxidermy competition, for those who don't know, sets a challenge each year: to use the first and last line from different well-known works of literature and create your own completely unique story. The lines … Continue reading Literary Taxidermy Honorable Mention
Life Update: August 2018 Edition
Hey kids and kittens! It's been half a minute since I wrote something on here, so let's dust it off and see what we've got. What a year, friends, and it isn't even over yet! In the last few months since returning from Europe, I moved apartments, started a new job, and then another new … Continue reading Life Update: August 2018 Edition
I’m Still Not Laughing
Sit back, hold onto your hats and/or wigs. I'm going on another rant. Let's start with a story from this morning! There I was, working at the new cafe (yay!). When in walks a customer. Cool. I like customers. They are necessary for me to do my job. They usually mean I get to make … Continue reading I’m Still Not Laughing
Coming Out
(Look at that funny reference to my last post! I'm hilarious.) So, I have a somewhat strained relationship with Pride Month, the same as with National Coming Out Day. The same as with the LGBTQIA community as a whole, because I still at age twenty-five feel like an outsider. I'm bisexual. It took me a … Continue reading Coming Out
Coming Home
As of today, June 9, 2018, I have been back in Oakland for exactly one month. Understandably, many of my acquaintances believe I am still on my European quest, and in a way, they aren't entirely wrong. It feels dramatic to say that a three-week trip changed my life, dramatic, but accurate. I've always sought … Continue reading Coming Home
Oxford- Visiting Graves
Oof. Readjusting to "normal" life is difficult. Suddenly people want me to be places at certain times and Scout expects to be fed (every day, too!) and there's something called a "job" that people are going on and on about. Which is a long way of saying, it's taken me a while to write this … Continue reading Oxford- Visiting Graves
London- Don’t Meet Your Heroes
All right folks, back to your regularly-scheduled programming. (Will return to dismantling capitalism in two ticks.) On my three week solo international journey (aka my TWSIJ), I visited London for the first time. I was torn between giddiness and apprehension. For most of my life, I had been exploring a different version of London, a … Continue reading London- Don’t Meet Your Heroes
Writing Under Capitalism
I have recently been reading "The View From Flyover Country" (Thanks, Pads!), and it reiterating and deepening my understanding of many issues. Primarily for me, the impossibility of writing under capitalism. Writing is communication. When writing is honest, it is an expression of soul, or if you prefer, an expression of the inner workings of … Continue reading Writing Under Capitalism
Amsterdam- Dedication
I am home now, back to the sunlight and hypocrisy of Northern California, and I finally have a moment to catch you up on the last half of my travels. When we last spoke, I was in Wiesbaden, returned to my AirBnB after a long walk in the dark. The next day, bright and early, I … Continue reading Amsterdam- Dedication
