June 24, 2018 Linda La Jirafa *This is a work of fiction, based upon current events. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.* Four days ago, my little family–Mamá, Papá, Abuela, Abuelo’s cigars, and I–were pushed into a white van in the middle of the night. Everyone was shouting about tents, the government, and something called deportation. I didn’t understand…
June 16, 2018 Skyscrapers and Juice Boxes *This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used…
June 10, 2018 To Those Afraid to Take the Leap Once upon a time when you were younger and the world around you was far more innocent, you stood at the edge of the pool. Maybe it was the edge of a pier, overlooking a lake full of marine life and seaweed dancing beneath the surface. There you stood in your swimsuit, wrapping your arms around yourself, looking out to the water like it was a terrible grade on your math test. Behind you, your parents called out to you.
May 20, 2018 Press Play Two years ago, I sat in my sophomore English class, half of the time doodling on my page as Mr. Olson would go on and on about Death of a Salesman. He asked us what kind of people the Lomans were, about the symbols throughout the book, and then the big question arose: what does this tell us about the American dream? I’ll tell you what I think about it: it never existed.