What a tiny beaut this little read has been — No other essay from the Best American Essays of 2022 has left as big of an impression on me as the first one — Abasemen — by Brian Blanchfield (you can read it here for free.) This essay was simultaneously haunting and yet lighthearted due to the way it was…

Can you guess? — “I love your haircut!” Yelled a total stranger from a black SUV this morning as I was crossing the street to go to a coffee shop nearby. “Thank you!” — I yelled back at the huge smile peeking out of the driver’s side window. A few weeks ago, another random…

Good question… and here’s a not-so-good answer — This is a whiny, ranty piece, in case that’s not your cup of tea. I don’t want to waste your precious time, dear reader. You’ve been warned. Don’t blame me. Stop trying to get an A+ at anything but writing your best work. — Melissa Febos Last year, when I…

An essay about facing the uncomfortable truths of our lives — Starting something new: Reading Analysis. I’ve found that breaking down what I’m reading helps me learn the craft of writing (primarily essays and short stories as I’m focused on those genres). I’m sharing them here for my own benefit, but maybe they’ll be of use to some of you as…

The newbie fears of a wannabe writer — In March 2022, I signed up for a flash nonfiction writing workshop on Catapult (RIP Catapult magazine and writing classes) with Alysia Sawchyn. A few short pieces came out of that class, none any more than gibberish. But then I decided to take one of those pieces and give it…

The walls are a flawed construct, but the feelings aren’t — We were at a coffee shop when Jen posed the question I had been dreading: “What’s going on with grad school?” “Umm,” Ugh! I knew this was coming; I should have been better prepared! Unable to come up with anything smart, I said quite honestly, “I decided to take a…

They’re scarier than the ones who sport the MAGA hats — During the 2020 election season, I heard a lot about these “shy” Trump supporters; certain media pundits called them “secret haters.” Yet, some other media pundits disagreed; they didn’t believe there was anything “shy” about the MAGA hat-wearing bigots. I don’t often care about the media pundits. Hunter S. Thompson…

In which I try to master (and then fail) the subtle art of self-denial — I hate saying “no.” Not to other people, mind you. I say “no” to folks all the time; that’s never been an issue. If that makes me a total bitch, so be it. Being good and being nice are not necessarily, in my experience, mutually inclusive. In retrospect, I’d be…

Consider this an open letter to beloved library patrons — !!! Attention Please !!! This flyer was typed up and printed out not by the university library personnel, but by its frequent users. That is correct — users — plural; this is not the action of a single deranged person, to be specific. I’m scotch-taping these on every single table on the third floor…