Today I played chess against my oldest brother, George. And lost. It’s nothing new, I’ve only won one game of chess ever, and it was against that very brother in a nail-biter of a match. He claims he was caught off guard by my moves, probably because they are very…

My big-ass nose. I have finally learned to love her. My nose has always been big, although I’ve definitely grown into her much more — thankfully. For almost all of my life until now, the thought of people seeing me talk or laugh from the side brought me endless torture. …

I stand in front of the mirror probably a million times a day. Half of those times, I’m fixing my hair, brushing teeth, putting on mascara, adjusting my outfit, or just having the famous pre-shower, body positivity session. And yet I can say that there has only been a handful…

Do you hear that? That voice? Yes. Do you hear it, feel its shape, gauge its depth? Who is it, this voice? It is you. You never notice it, You pay it no mind; Funny thing is, It is your mind. Observing it too intently, attempting to identify it, trying to trace…

I knew I was growing up when I started liking mushrooms. Long gone were the days of making a face and saying, “Ew. They smell like dirty dishwater” — (they really do). Now, seeing sautéed mushrooms in a dish tips the scale in favor of that entrée: Sautéed Mushrooms vs…

A short story I wrote for my junior-year creative writing class Polished claws crushed the cigarette into the tray, a tail of smoke hissing in protest. Waiting was the worst pastime. Penelope hated waiting: there’s more time to think. …

Here I am in all my glory: slouched at my desk, Twizzler in mouth, listening to Nirvana’s Dumb while I search deep inside for the will to begin my college essays. The future is infinitely exciting to me — and equally as horrifying. What is the future anyway? Where am…

As soon as the weather gets hotter, students get wearier, and the wait for that three-month vacation is almost too much to bear. But then, summer arrives in all its golden glory. At first, it feels as though summer could not have come quicker, as though it were always meant…