When I was seventeen, I was told to hunker down. I was in an acting class and had just spent about fifteen minutes improvising a scene played out on a tightrope between the life I was living and the one I’d just created for my character. Real Life Improv - that’s what my teacher called …
The First Time You Were Worried That You Had Come Off Sounding Racist.
I was five and in Mrs. Pagano’s morning kindergarten class. Trichelle wasn’t there on the first day of school. I don’t recall how late into the year she arrived, but she was definitely the new girl and definitely the only black student. I suppose at the time I didn't realize my first reactions to seeing …
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The car your father drove
The bus. Dad drove a bus. No. It was not a real bus. It was not gray or yellow nor was it filled with rows of seating. Actually, it was a Dodge Van 350 but in the eyes of a small girl and her two older brothers, it was a bus. He used that van …
Comfort
Comfort The glow of fire Your own pillow Your dog’s favorite spot The temperature of the library Laying in warm sand My best friend's laugh All the things about coffee Hearing the first note of that one song Pancakes That movie you can only watch alone Sleepytime tea Being awake for a good sunrise My …
Make a case for your favorite fruit
Years ago in the scorching heat of the summer months, my mom took me peach picking. We walked along the rows of trees picking the peaches straight off the branches. Some went into the bag while others went straight into my mouth. They were warm and ripe. The juice dripped down my chin and I …
What you used to do that you don’t do anymore
I used to burn incense. Yeah, I know. Incense. I stole the stand from my brother and bought 10 incense for a dollar at Funk&Standard. I could not have been older than sixteen. I kept a box of matches on my dresser that I had taken from my mom’s matchbox collection. Also, I was too …
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What you’ve kept
I kept the Ithaca College snapback you let me borrow. I asked if you wanted it back but you said no, I can have it. So I still have it. I’ve kept the poster of Jim Morrison. I’ve kept the shower ring we stole that I wore as a bracelet. I've kept the boxes and …
Write down everything you can remember about your algebra teacher.
I took algebra one in the eighth grade. My teacher’s name was Mrs. McGinley. Sadly, she passed away over the summer. She died at the age of 57, although as a thirteen year old in the eighth grade, I always thought she was much older. Mrs. McGinley had poor handwriting, long pointy nails, and blond …
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Write down 20 details of your neighborhood
1. The majority of houses have two front doors, the first being glass. 2. More people own dogs than cats. 3. Only two families have in-ground pools. 4. There's a pothole at the beginning of the street that is really fun to ride your bike over. 5 There are a group of families who have …
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642 Things to Write About 