And so, I’ve returned from another traveling adventure to find the runway missing. It’s not important what’s wrong; the important thing is that I left on top of the world, had a great time in Greece and Iceland, and came back to turmoil. Things could be worse, one voice in my head immediately chimes in. You are not dead yet. All is not yet lost! We are undeniably fucked, another replies. Things will never be as good as they were, again. No! Have hope! Find solutions! We can survive this!!!! the first voice shouts back, trying already to dry tears I haven’t yet had the chance to cry. My word of ..read more

For the first time, I have had a poem professionally published! It is called “I Do Not Miss the Spring,” and you can read it online here: https://lit202.org/issues/issue-one It will soon be available as a physical copy as well, if you wish to purchase it ..read more

I am beyond excited to announce that my book, “My Only Real Friend is the Easter Bunny at the Mall,” will be published by Deep Hearts Press in 2023! After a long road of writing, rewriting, editing, beta reading, and querying (and getting rejected over and over and over)–and after another long process of more editing, cover designing, marketing, and so on, I will (drumroll, please) be a published author! It’s been a long time coming, and a huge dream come true! I’ll be posting updates as I am able. For now, feel free to check out what else this wonderful small press has worked o ..read more

I think there might be two definitions of forgiveness. The first is the one I held most of my life: to tell someone that what they did is “okay.” As in, someone breaks your pencil, and you say, “It’s okay,” therefore absolving them of blame and guilt. It’s hard to do that kind of forgiveness. How am I supposed to tell an abuser, either in real life or in my head, that what they did to me is “okay”? It wasn’t okay. In the words of Herb from Bojack Horseman, “You ruined my life, and I will never forgive you for that.” I think Herb was kind of right. Why should the person who hurt you get to live ..read more

When I left the high school for the last time on Friday, March 13 I thought we’d be closed for a week. Maybe Two. I told my students to enjoy the week off. I didn’t bother saying goodbye to the students I didn’t have that day. I left a water bottle in my room. I left a stack of papers, ungraded. I left a sweater. I left homework written on the board. I miss my students. I miss even the annoying ones. I miss the busy halls and filled-up lunchroom. I miss the hectic joy of graduating seniors. I wish we knew, when we left, that we were leaving Because now we’re gone And the school is a ghost town ..read more

Sometimes I feel like I should put more effort into uplifting the world. Sometimes I feel awful. Sometimes I feel bad about the fact that I’ve apparently spent 17 hours staring at a screen today. Sometimes I don’t, since that includes my yoga class and all my time with friends, now. Sometimes I just feel alright. Sometimes I feel pretty damn good. I just want to go to a restaurant. I should feel lucky. I’m not dead anyway. I’m not sick. No one I know has died. People I know have gotten COVID-19 but no one has died. No one has even gone to the hospital, yet. 5,000 people in my state have died ..read more

Hitting my quarantine stride has meant creating normalcy as much as possible, while living through a very un-normal situation. I am tired of hearing the words “unprecedented,” “challenging,” and “trying” when they precede the word “times.” I am tired of advertisements showing families on Zoom calls. I am tired. I am tired of my dumbass president, I am tired of everything. And so are you. I don’t know what to tell you, you know? We’re all in the same boat. There’s no news. There’s only a growing sinkhole in everyone’s stomach. These trying goddamn times, my dude. So, hitting my stride. Yoga, wr ..read more

It’s kind of weird how it’s being treated like a…I don’t know. Summer vacation? I shouldn’t complain, I suppose. I really shouldn’t. Unlike a lot of the world, I still have a job. I am an editor. I edit books, and because I do so via the internet, I’m still working. Luckily, people are using this time to write, so I am still getting clients. I am also a creative writing tutor, and my students are still having me teach them (virtually), which is great for both of us. One of my students’ parents told me that after we resumed lessons after the first two uncertain weeks, her son was in a much calm ..read more

i never thought i’d be tired of being at home. my god. is this what being an extrovert feels like? i’m dying for touch. i just want to see someone smile i just want to laugh i want to go to a bar a party i want to go clubbing and if you know me you know how crazy that sounds. i want to run i want to run to a place where we can be outside without a mask i want to go back in time just 30 days to when this all seemed impossible. to when i doubted schools would close to when i was still able to go out to eat to when i still *wanted* to be alone ..read more

read me aloud read me a poem make me a poem and read me to sleep take all my words turn them to art and music and dancing will follow them soon my diary is on your lips top of your shopping list pens and ink, paper the necessary end read me aloud read me to children read out my histories and let them be loud for you have a voice mine is a quiet one you have a mic while i’m lost in a crowd so take all my words the good and the bad ones say them with your smile and they will be heard ..read more