On the first evening of the new year, my friend Steph and I crouched on the cold concrete floor of my garage with hammers in hand. Small metal rings were scattered before us, along with metal stamps of the alphabet. We’d spent the prior hours journaling about our intentions for the year ahead and distilling … More An Introduction to Routine
Writing is a practice that requires presence. Presence is something that has felt exceedingly fragile to me in the past year. During this time, I’ve ached to write. Story ideas have swum around in my head. Yet, I’ve lacked the presence to sit with them and turn them into words. Everywhere I travel, I carry … More Writing about Not Writing
Life has been fast. Life has been full. Life has been busy. I’ve been building some dreams. I’ve been following some leads. I’ve been writing up a storm. I sit in a coffee shop downtown and I watch an actual storm through the window. Cars splash in puddles. Lights reflect on the pavement. We’re all … More Hangover
“I’m really an artist,” he stated, “I’m just getting my PhD in developmental economics on the side.” Over a year ago, I was on a date with a man I could best describe as “that guy who has one too many of his shirt buttons undone,” as he made this declaration to me. At the … More We’re Not Impostors
Writing, for me, is like a MacGyver trick, I suppose. It’s an amalgamation of the random pieces of thought around me. It’s sitting looking at all of them until I see how they all connect to express what I’m feeling. It usually ends with the declaration of, “Maybe it’s about the…” followed by the frantic … More Walking in Wet Stilettos
I love air travel. There are so many aspects of it that have captured my heart since my very first flight. It’s the idea of changing scenery for a moment. It’s the stories to be created on the other side. It’s knowing who is waiting at your destination with the sole intention of taking you … More Nancy Pokres (June 27, 1936 — July 31, 2012)
A few weeks ago, I was standing in line at the post office after work. My friend had walked there with me. The walk from my work to the post office near Union Station is one of my favorites, especially on days that are like perfectly ripe summer plums — those days where I find … More Kindness and Letters. Letters and Kindness.
In a year, I’ll leave this place and go learn how to live off the land. The imagery of this thought consumed my mind as I sat in my cubicle one Friday past. I have a list of jobs I’d like to try. One of them is Policy WONK, and I’m lucky enough to be … More Success, Reconciliation, and Crisis
Love them or hate them, I can’t deny Train of their bewitching way with words. Now that she’s back from that soul vacation, tracing her way through the constellation… Tell me, did the wind sweep you off your feet? Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day, and head back … More Soul Vacation
Not only did I find a place to get laptop mellow, but the same place also happens to have a black and white cookie that is done right. On top of this, they have chai — good chai. Goodbye, suburbs. You are convenient when I need Tupperware and assorted garden items from your dizzying array … More Metaphorical Hot Springs
ROUGH OUTLINES 