Narratives

Long read creative fiction and non-fiction

close up of mother and daughter
Why You Don’t Need to Feel Sorry for My Christmas Baby

My daughter was born early. When I first found out I was pregnant, I calculated…

Most of My Relationships Are Long Distance

Approximately five minutes after I became a legal adult (give or take a few months),…

3 Ways Homeschooling Better Prepared Me for Adulthood

When I was in junior high, I went to get my hair trimmed. In the…

A Love Letter To Teenage Girls

Hello lovely souls, My name is Olivia, and while I’m not currently a teenage girl…

What Body Neutral Means to Me

Last weekend I was cleaning out my closet, and I came across a pair of…

Un Cumpleaños Cubano: Rock Climbing, Che Guevara, and Ryan Gosling

I spend my 32nd birthday in Cuba. La Habana is a dirty, smelly, crumbling city…

“Hidden Figures” And The Importance Of Telling Stories About Women

In the prologue of Hidden Figures, Margot Lee Shetterly writes, “As a callow eighteen-year-old leaving…

I Chose the Family I Need, Not the One I’m Born To

Like many people who live in rural areas, I grew up working on my family…

Open Relationships
How Open Is Too Open When It Comes To Open Relationships?

Until very recently, I found myself passionately advocating for open relationships—when I get passionate, my…

What That Beyonce/Dixie Chicks Performance Meant To A Southern Biracial Woman

There has never been a doubt in my mind that my upbringing was unconventional. I…

How I Fell Back In Love With the Dumpster Fire That Is 2016

It was a brisk October morning when I departed from my home in Southern Virginia…

I Don’t Feel Like A Lady Without My Pearls

“A woman needs ropes and ropes of pearls.” – Coco Chanel As a child, I…

My Relationship Turned Me Into A Cliché

Two weeks ago, I found myself driving by my ex-boyfriend’s house. It was the first…

“You’re Beautiful. I Want to Rape You” They Catcalled At Me

I first started crafting this while sitting on the beach as the sun was setting…

I’ll Never Be In A Cool Girl Squad And I’m Over Caring About It

When does being cool and popular start to become more important than having fun? For…

My Mother Will Never Be My Best Friend (And That’s OK)

I was promised, like most young girls, that one day my mother would be my…

On Being A Background Character In Other People’s Lives

You’ve spent all your life being moved out of the spotlight of someone else’s play.…

Confession: I Don’t Love New York (And I’m A Native)

Usually at parties, I like telling people that I grew up in New York City…

eating with hands
The Beauty Of Learning To Eat With My Hands

By Elizabeth Jaikaran  Anyone who has ever eaten a cheeseburger, or even hummus with pita…

hair
Life Lessons (And A Panic Attack) From Cutting My Hair Short

I’ve been thinking of cutting my hair short for a while now, and finally had…