In the wake of extremely outgoing parents, I was allowed to drown in my shyness and stay hidden from the world. In retrospect, the label kept me safe for a time. I never had to discuss the turmoil in my life. I learned to dissect and process my pain alone. . .
Tag: Writing
Let the Clouds Cry
Dream about the heart-shaped leaves
on the thin branches of the purple tree.
You know the one.
Where the butterflies
sleep amongst the flowers,
Blessed by the tears of the clouds.
My Catalina
As I write this, my tastebuds pucker, saliva gathers greedily at the inside corners of my cheeks. In my mind, I see the almost hysterical orange-red color, the slightly greasy surface of Catalina as it oozes out of the little round hole in the white plastic bottle cap. Catalina is a gift my mother gave me before I left home to raise myself at 13 years old and, though it may seem strange, I don’t regret this gift.
Tainted Remains
Remember, dying ain’t pretty, and you can’t let the kiss of death linger too long. Pretend that you love him. Pretend that you are Milton’s little girl. Pretend that the pain is too much to bear. Do not laugh at how botched your aunt looks. Instead, kneel and pray—pretend to if you cannot.
Out of My Head and Into My Body: Why Gardening Makes Me a Better Writer
It is equally easy for me to fantasize about being a writer as it is to fantasize about being a plant person. These fantasies of lifestyle and values echo each other. It is romantic until you must edit. It is romantic until you must weed.
Light Poems
This moment is outside of time
Ironic cause that’s what i’m needing
To teach you
Pleasure I have in my veins
This planet rewinds everyday just
To feed you
How can I be of service?
Burn me up, Wave me
Listen here patiently
Lessons entwined in my roots
Plant me within your mind so nervously
No One Wants to Write Poems About the Proletariat Anymore
I want someone to see me./
I want someone to know/
it ain’t easy.
Interview with Christopher X. Shade
Shade talks with poetry editor Max Hamilton about confronting grief through meditation and writing.
An Interview With Kiera Allen
Allen co-stars in the new film “Run,” which premiers on Hulu Friday, November 20.
Model Literary Citizenship Survey: Alison Kinney
The second installment of our Model Literary Citizenship Survey
Model Literary Citizenship Survey: Bridgett M. Davis
What does it mean to be a good literary citizen? If you’re like me, you have a complicated relationship to the word “citizen.” As a citizen of the United States and a feminist living in […]
The Familiar and The Fresh
Recklessness looks a lot like bravery.
Talking Funny
Last summer, I was one of many wide-eyed emerging writers who attended a craft seminar during The New School’s Summer Writers Colony where Elissa Bassist, the editor of the Funny Women column on TheRumpus.net, discussed what it means to write humor in New York.
Finishing School
“It had to be written quickly, as these things are.”
told me you’ll thank me some day – language borrowed from 1-star yelp reviews of cosmetic surgeons
“a hung out hexology” by Laura Heckel 1 reality is that i have only seen the doctor once after my surgery and that is because i haunt him. 2 i had drains in my legs and […]
Dressed in White
Growing up, my parents never really took us anywhere. Everything normal families made a fuss about, like graduations and birthdays, we spent at home. Their excuse was always how tired they were. I hated that […]
The Bonsai EP–Songs By Simone Stevens, NSPE Student.
When 12th Street set out this 2014-15 school year to glean the New School for all possible creative talent to showcase in the journal, we were unprepared for the amount of high-caliber submissions flocking our […]
12th Street Issue # 5 Launch and Reading
About the Event: POLITICS AND LETTERS COME TOGETHER FOR AN EVENING OF READINGS BY ELISSA SCHAPPELL, TÉA OBREHT, AND STUDENT CONTRIBUTORS TO 12TH STREET ISSUE 5, PUBLISHED BY THE NEW SCHOOL WRITING PROGRAM. Date and time: Wednesday, May 9th, […]
Foster Children, DJs, and Hermaphroditic Dogs
Yesterday was Wednesday, so I of course read the NYT Dining section. I generally read it online, but since I was Long Island-bound, I got myself a copy for the train ride. Eventually I found […]
Getting Away
There is something to be said for a change of environment. For the past couple of weeks my writing has been stuck, stagnant. The answer was to get away. I am a creature of habit. […]