When looking at the possibility of change, it’s natural for feelings to come up. — I visited Montréal with the apprehensive mindset that I’ll move here in the not-far future. My fiancé got his dream job. He’s finally working in the industry he’s dreamed of getting into since he was a child. I’m very happy for him and quite proud of him, but there’s just…

People dance in and out of your life, but there may be a deeper meaning behind brief encounters. — I‘m staring down the bridge crossing into my 29th year. I’ve moved around a lot, struggled to maintain friendships, and I’ve felt the slow sting of gradually losing people more times than I care to count. I’m a person who decided to prioritize my career, despite some of the friendships…

One is essential but one will only hold you back. — “I have forced myself to begin writing when I’ve been utterly exhausted, when I’ve felt my soul as thin as a playing card…and somehow the activity of writing changes everything.” ― Joyce Carol Oates When I’m really deep in practicing self-reflection with writing, I really can’t imagine not having a…

Our taste might seem superficial, but it often runs deeper than you think. — Over the years of immersing myself deeper and deeper in the literary community, especially in the academic context, I’ve had to make peace with something. There are a lot of books out there that are objectively good, well-written pieces of literature, but I don’t like them. Being able to give…

Here are a few lessons learned from my first MFA residency. — I’m really excited to finally start my MFA in Fiction. This is something I’ve been chasing since 2017. It was, ironically, crushing depression from being rejected from PhDs one year and then MFAs the next that drove me to start my Instagram poetry account because I felt like I had…

Even getting a job in the city wasn’t enough to make me feel validated. — Imposter syndrome made me believe I’d never make it in NYC — even getting a job and an apartment in the city wasn’t enough to make me feel like I did it. You see the logic gap here too, right? My little New York story started in 2019 when I…

Writing brain has the blue screen of death? Try these ridiculously difficult fixes! — You haven’t written in days? Read 50 serious how-to articles? Haven’t done anything? That’s okay! You just need a reboot! Grab a cup of coffee (or liquor) and let’s figure out how to reboot your internal writing machine. Start by turning it off and on again. Yes, really. The human…

The longer you stay being a productive adult, the more you’ll witness on a typical day at a Starbucks in the city. — Whether you love them or hate them, Starbucks is such a well-known chain that it’s practically part of our culture. Some would argue that with the prices they charge, it’s the epitome of indulgence. Others enjoy the sugar rushes too much or appreciate the fact that Starbucks does actually do…

Your alone time is only enriching if you make an effort to practice self-introspection. — There’s a beautiful line in Utada Hikaru’s song “Michi,” which typically translates to “road.” The line goes, “It’s a lonely road / but I’m not alone.” …