The first drag queen I ever met told me: “Stop staring, honey. I know I look good.” They did. After being invited for weeks, in a rare restless mood, I’d agreed to meet up with a friend. Vibrant, funny, with a dash of crazy. You know the kind. She’d danced…

Scroll through the green smoothies, pastel backgrounds, and earnest longing of Instagram. Drive through the winding desert, between the suffocating skyscrapers, and up the coast. You’ll find the same yearning for that elusive feeling of happiness everywhere you turn. Most days, I think my hands weren’t made for texting. For…

Before we begin, take your suicide note and burn it. Burn your ticket to an early death, or it will burn you. If you’ve needed one (and let’s be honest, we all need one at times), here’s your daily reminder that you matter. Daily reminder that you’re loved. I’ve used…

They say it’s the end of the world, and I must admit, I’ve been a part of the chorus. Screaming for days like a flock of pigeons waddling in circles around the city. Either I can’t make myself care or I care way too much. I’ve been daydreaming about roadtrips…

AKA Those Small, Heartwarming Moments Aren’t Actually Good Signs. — “Why are you so focused on the negative?” “Why does no-one on this site ever share good news?” “There’s so many good things happening right now; try looking for those. You won’t be so depressed.” I read the majority of private notes and comments on my pieces……eventually. There have been…

The trees have eyes. Maggie’s counted the steps from the back porch to the edge of the forest before. Bright blue shoes. 179 steps. Dark brown boots. 162 steps. Back and forth. Back and forth. Walking swiftly and silently, her grandmother’s words whisper through the wind. You will want to…

“Thank you for your email. With the messy state of the world, burnout doesn’t quite seem like the right word. I’ve been struggling.”-OOO Message How would you say you’re doing right now? Struggling. Burnt out. Stressed. Traumatized. Every word doesn’t seem nearly enough for the moment. Even the most acerbic…

Thoughts on Buffalo and Texas from a Prolific Devil’s Advocate — Some days, there are no words. No witty banter. No poetic calls for justice. Playing devil’s advocate has no place. In matters of life and death, neutrality is cowardly. Call evil what it is. That’s the bare minimum. Of decency. Of humanity. Wanting to appear nuanced and gracious, I take…

On Friendship and Making Space — I’m almost finished saving the scraps of writing I want from Facebook before deleting. My last closet of social media left. Even though I know it’s for the best, I was aghast when I first started clearing out my web presence. “But why?” my heart asks. Simple, I don’t have…