I’ve just finished college and stepped into a part of life where very little feels settled. I’m moving through the world with a light bag and an open schedule, paying attention as I go. I’m less interested in the moments people are applauded for and more curious about the quiet stretches in between—the parts of life that shape someone long before anyone is watching. I find myself noticing what people linger on, what they carry with them, and what they leave unsaid. I don’t write to explain lives or to draw neat conclusions. I write because observing feels more honest than summarizing. I’m drawn to small, telling details, to contradictions that don’t resolve, to the way uncertainty can shape a person just as much as confidence ever does. Most lives don’t unfold in clean lines, and I’ve found that meaning often shows up only after you stop trying to tie everything together. When I write about someone, I try to stand close enough to feel their presence, but far enough away to let them remain themselves. I avoid judgment and resist endings that feel too finished. I trust readers to recognize what feels familiar without being guided there. I’m optimistic not because I believe people are simple or easy to understand, but because I believe they’re worth the effort. Paying attention feels like a way of taking the world seriously, even when it’s complicated. Maybe especially then.
Author's posts
Denis Diderot: The Revolutionary with a Messy Conscience
I’ve been obsessed with Denis Diderot for months now, ever since I stumbled upon a worn copy of his Encyclopédie at my local used bookstore. There’s something about the way he wrote that resonates with me – it’s like he’s speaking directly to my own frustrations and doubts as a young person trying to make …
Rachel Blau DuPlessis: When Theory Gets Personal (But Not Too Personal)
Rachel Blau DuPlessis. Her name has been circling my mind for weeks, ever since I stumbled upon her work while researching the feminist avant-garde movement of the 1960s and ’70s. As I delved deeper into her writing, I found myself both drawn to and unsettled by her ideas. What is it about Rachel’s approach to …
W.B. Yeats: The Mirror Maze
I’ve been reading W.B. Yeats for what feels like an eternity, but it’s really only been a few months since I stumbled upon his poetry in a used bookstore. There was something about the way his words seemed to dance on the page that drew me in – a combination of mystery and accessibility that …
Hannah Hoch: Where Women Are Cut Up and Pasted Together
Hannah Hoch’s collage work makes me think of the cluttered state of my own mind. I’m a writer, and writing is how I untangle thoughts that feel stuck together like torn fragments of paper. Hoch’s collages are like that too – pieces of different textures and colors pasted together to create something new. But it’s …
Georgia O’Keeffe: Where the Strong and Fragile Coexist in One Giant Bouquet
Georgia O’Keeffe has been on my mind a lot lately, ever since I stumbled upon her work while browsing through an art book in my college dorm’s library. Her paintings of enlarged flowers and landscapes seemed to leap off the page, their bold colors and shapes demanding attention. At first, I was struck by their …
Walter Benjamin: Lost in the Haze of What Could’ve Been
Walter Benjamin has been on my mind for months now, ever since I stumbled upon his writings on art and history while researching for a paper on modernity. At first, I was drawn to the way he effortlessly weaves together philosophy, politics, and culture – it’s like reading a dense, yet exhilarating novel. But as …
Katherine Mansfield: Where Bravery Meets Bruising
Katherine Mansfield’s life has been a constant companion of mine since college, when I devoured her short stories like they were oxygen. There was something about the way she captured the intricacies of human relationships, the quiet desperation of modern life, that spoke to me on a deep level. But it wasn’t until recently, as …
Albert Einstein: The Anxiety of Genius – Is it Better to be Brilliant or Brutally Honest?
I’ve always been fascinated by the contradictions of Albert Einstein’s life. On one hand, he was a brilliant physicist who revolutionized our understanding of space and time. His theories changed the way we think about the universe, and his legacy continues to inspire scientists and thinkers around the world. But on the other hand, he …
James Weldon Johnson: The Man Who Still Haunts Me (And Why I Think You Should Care Too)
James Weldon Johnson has been on my mind a lot lately, and I’m not entirely sure why. Maybe it’s because I recently graduated from college with a degree in English, and his name kept popping up in my coursework. Or maybe it’s because I’ve always been drawn to the complex intersections of art and social …
Hildegard Of Bingen: The Unapologetic Heart on Her Sleeve
I’ll be honest, I stumbled upon Hildegard of Bingen by chance, while browsing through a used bookstore. Her name jumped off the page, and I had to look her up. At first, I was drawn to her as a trailblazer – a woman who defied conventions in a time when women’s voices were largely silenced. …
Seamus Heaney: Where Ugliness Takes Root in Beauty
Seamus Heaney’s words have a way of creeping into my mind when I’m sitting at my desk, staring at the blank page in front of me. As a writer, I’ve always found solace in his poetry – its rhythms and cadences are like a steady heartbeat that grounds me. But beyond just admiring his craft, …
Antonio Gramsci: Why the Rebels Are Usually Just Wearing the Same Uniform
I’ll be honest, Antonio Gramsci’s name has been floating around my consciousness for years, but it wasn’t until I stumbled upon his concept of “hegemony” that I felt a genuine spark of interest. Maybe it was the way he described how power operates beneath the surface, shaping our collective perceptions without us even realizing it. …
Lost in the Impermanence of Light: What Claude Monet’s Paintings Taught Me About Finding Beauty in the Fleeting Moments
Claude Monet’s paintings have been on my mind a lot lately, ever since I spent an entire morning at the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris, staring at his Impression, Sunrise (1872). There was something about the way the light danced across the canvas that seemed to capture the essence of my own restlessness. As I …
Mary Shelley: Does Anyone Else’s Name Belong On My Bookshelf?
I’ve always been fascinated by Mary Shelley, but it’s not just her life story that draws me in – although the idea of writing a novel at 18 while traveling with your soon-to-be-ex-fiancé is enough to make anyone feel inadequate. It’s something more complex than that. One thing I find intriguing is how much Mary …
Cesare Pavese: Puzzle Maker or Perpetual Wanderer?
Cesare Pavese’s words have a way of getting under my skin. I’ve spent countless hours poring over his essays, translations, and poetry, and yet, every time I revisit them, I feel like I’m uncovering something new – or rather, something old that I never noticed before. It’s as if his writing is like a puzzle, …
Lise Meitner: The Invisible Thread
I keep coming back to Lise Meitner, the Austrian physicist who fled her homeland during WWII only to play a crucial role in discovering nuclear fission. Her name is etched in my mind alongside those of Marie Curie and Rosalind Franklin – women who broke ground in male-dominated fields, leaving behind a trail of awe-inspiring …
Jorge Luis Borges: Where Does the Map End and the Territory Begin? (Or Do We Even Care?)
I’ll never forget the day I stumbled upon Jorge Luis Borges’ short story “Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius.” It was as if I had stepped into a labyrinth and couldn’t find my way out. The more I read, the more questions swirled in my head like leaves in a storm drain. What is reality? Is it …
Elizabeth Cady Stanton: The Unrelenting Spark That Refuses to Fade Away
Elizabeth Cady Stanton has been lingering in the back of my mind for weeks now, ever since I stumbled upon her name while browsing through a list of influential women from history. At first, I thought it was just another name, another faceless figure from a bygone era. But as I began to read more …
Soren Kierkegaard: The Guy Who’s Been Having Existential Crises for Centuries and I’m Over Here Just Trying to Figure Stuff Out
Soren Kierkegaard. His name has been floating around my mind for months now, ever since I stumbled upon his works while searching for inspiration for a creative writing project. At first, it was just the familiar feeling of overwhelm that comes with diving into someone else’s ideas – too many words, too many concepts, and …
Emily Carr: When Genius Looks Like Chaos in a Paint-Splattered Dress
I’ve been thinking about Emily Carr a lot lately, ever since I stumbled upon her paintings in an art history course last semester. At first, I was drawn to the vibrant colors and bold brushstrokes, but as I delved deeper into her work, I found myself increasingly fascinated by the complexity of her personality. There’s …
W E B Du Bois: Where the River Runs Deeper Than the Surface
W.E.B. Du Bois’s words have been seeping into my consciousness for years, like a slow-moving river that I’ve never quite managed to follow to its source. It started with phrases like “double-consciousness” and “the color line,” which seemed to articulate a tension I recognized in myself—the feeling of being split between inner identity and the …
Jane Austen: The Unspoken Wisdom in Her Pages is Like a Punch to the Gut (In a Good Way?)
Jane Austen. I’ve spent hours reading her novels, but it’s not the plots or characters that have me stuck – it’s her voice. It’s like she’s speaking directly to me, but from a different time, with a language that’s both familiar and foreign. As someone who writes for myself, to process my own thoughts and …
Samuel Beckett: When the Abyss Looks Back at You
Samuel Beckett’s words have been lingering in my mind for a while now, like the faint scent of old books that refuses to fade. I’ve been reading his work sporadically over the past few years, drawn back to it whenever I’m feeling lost or uncertain about my own creative path. His writing is like a …
Annie Ernaux: When the Mirror Reflects More Than You Bargained For
I’ve been thinking a lot about Annie Ernaux lately, ever since I finished reading her book “A Woman’s Story” for my creative writing class. What struck me was the way she writes about her own life with such unflinching honesty – like she’s holding up a mirror to herself and not flinching from what she …
Max Planck: The Professor Who Was Right But Still Faced a Whole Lot of Resistance (and Now I’m Feeling Some Familiar Frustration)
I’ve been thinking a lot about Max Planck lately, and I’m not entirely sure why. Maybe it’s because we both graduated from university around the same age – he was 26 when he submitted his habilitation thesis on thermodynamics, while I just turned 22 last week. Or maybe it’s because I find myself relating to …
Ingeborg Bachmann: Where Chaos Meets Catharsis (And I’m Still Trying to Process It All)
Ingeborg Bachmann – the German-Austrian writer who has been haunting me for months now. I stumbled upon her while searching for a new author to devour, and her name kept popping up alongside that of Thomas Bernhard, another Austrian writer whose work I’d read and admired. At first, it was just a matter of curiosity: …
Ralph Waldo Emerson: The Original Rebel (Who Also Really Liked Conformity)
I find myself drawn to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s words like a magnet, but it’s not just his ideas that resonate with me – it’s the tension within him that I identify with. The sense of restlessness, the feeling of being stuck between tradition and innovation, it’s all so… familiar. As I delve into his writings, …
Henri Bergson: The Time Thief Who Stole My Sense of Schedule
I’ve always been fascinated by Henri Bergson, the French philosopher who won a Nobel Prize in Literature back in 1927. I stumbled upon his name while reading about modernist thinkers, and something about him resonated with me. Maybe it’s because he defied categorization – was he a philosopher, a scientist, or an artist? Or maybe …
Eudora Welty: The Unspoken Things Between Us are the Most Terrifying
I’ve always been drawn to Eudora Welty’s writing, but it wasn’t until I stumbled upon her essay “A Little Life: Some Notes on a Little Novel” that I began to understand why. It was the way she dissected the intricacies of human relationships, revealing the complexities and frailties that make us vulnerable. As I read, …
Simone Weil: The Beauty of Being Unsettled
Simone Weil’s words have been stuck with me for months now, lingering like a gentle but persistent ache in my chest. I stumbled upon her writing while researching existentialism for a paper, and at first, it was just another intellectual exercise – until I began to read her essays on affliction, attention, and the weight …
Colette: The Unapologetic Ancestor I’d Like to Be, But Probably Wouldn’t Be Able To Be Even If I Wanted To
Colette. I’ve been thinking about her a lot lately, ever since I stumbled upon one of her novels while browsing through a used bookstore. Her writing is like nothing I’ve ever read before – it’s like she’s speaking directly to me, but also somehow above me at the same time. What draws me in most …