Stories

The Songwriter

By : Grace Hasson April 10, 2021 No Comment

“Is it me?” I ask, leaning my head on her shoulder. The music is loud in the other room, but here, on a couch forgotten by the party, I’m able to ask what I’ve been waiting to ask. “Is what you?” she asks, putting her head on top of mine. Her hair is soft, like someone put feathers on top of my head. The couch beneath me is broken. A metal beam pokes up from under me like an unwanted guest. I shift, but the metal beam persists. “The girl you wrote that song about, it’s me, isn’t it?” She’s quiet for a long time and I wait. I listen to the music flowing into the room, the bass deep as the ocean. For a moment I’m lost in the

Purple

By : Grace Hasson April 10, 2021 No Comment

The blues come and go like summer showers. They roll down my nose and into the tissue below. And the reds fade in and out. Girls with cheeks burning like embers stick around only when I’m at my lowest. People love to see me burn, but purple—when fire and frigid combine—it’s permanent. Mom was hot and cold at once. She wore a purple apron every day. Years later I feel her presence by the stove and I know I always will.

I’m What The Kids Call A ‘Content Creator’

By : Reno Banzai March 30, 2021 Comments Off

Last December, I started as an official creator for the app Likee (pronounced like-ee). If you’re unfamiliar with it, I best explain it as the lovechild of Twitch and TikTok. What I mean by “official” here is that I have a signed contract that lets me get paid to be there. Yes, really. Your boy has finally arrived. Kinda. I have for most of my adult life wanted to have a job that I liked. That it would be fulfilling enough that even if the pay were abysmal, my soul would be satisfied. The truth of every dream job lies therein ― it is but a dream. Intangible and unrealistic. Anything worth having and doing well at takes energy, hard work, and time. Like many others, I thought being a

Discovering the Secrets of the Universe

By : Miranda Kargol March 30, 2021 Comments Off

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, written by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, is my absolute favorite book. The first time that I read it was in the summer of 2019. At the time, I had been reading through some queer young adult literature, and this one caught my eye. The moment that I started reading, I was absorbed into their world. The book centers around a young boy named Aristotle, who goes by Ari, as he struggles to find ways to fill his free time during the summer. He decides to learn how to swim, and while he is at the pool, he meets another boy named Dante. They quickly bond over how they both have unique names, and their connection continuously develops throughout the book. One aspect

Abnegation

By : Kirslyn Schell-Smith March 16, 2021 Comments Off

Undetermined date, 20216:13 am “You understand me. We mirror each other. You’re what I see when I look in the mirror and I’m what you see when you don’t.” Undetermined date, 202111:27 pm I wrote something similar several years ago, right when you entered the hospital for the first time. And that was the last time, I think, that I wrote about you. And I didn’t tell you this morning, but you’re not wrong. I am afraid. Not afraid of how your recovery looks or what you are doing, but afraid that it could be me, that it would be me. Your videos, your photos, your messages, your voicemails, your texts, your audio recordings—are what my brain feels like frequently—and I know that you know that. It scares me because

August 23, Brewery

By : Kirslyn Schell-Smith March 16, 2021 Comments Off

I thought you should know that I cut my nails this morning. I woke up earlier than she did, Restless, senseless waste of sleep Removed the nail polish you’d put on more than a month ago I know it’s not good to leave it on for that long But it’s also not good to smoke so many cigarettes Drink so much alcohol, caffeine Sit with your wallet in your back pocket Time to change your clothes And finally get rid of that cardigan you’ve had since middle school Striped, but only on the sleeves, horizontal, around the elbows Navy The guy next to me is circling things in the newspaper Jobs or apartments or things for sale or car advertisements or funny comics or interesting articles or crossword puzzle answers

MyUmbrella

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The Songwriter

Purple

Discovering the Secrets of the Universe

Abnegation

August 23, Brewery

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