Published in Slackjaw·PinnedMember-onlyStop The SquealThe truth behind exclamation point censorship. — For far too long, exclamation points have gotten a bad rap from so-called “writing experts,” “grammar police,” “punctuation snobs,” and “editors”. “DON’T USE EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!” They scream, ironically using multiple exclamation points, as well as caps lock, to make their “point.” …Humor3 min readHumor3 min read
May 17, 2022Member-onlyMaids & Cholas — SNL Celebrates Latin Heritage MonthTired, Racist Tropes are for Tired, Racist Dopes — Late this past Saturday night, I was curled up on the couch with my sleeping cats and snoring husband (he reluctantly approved this characterization), scrolling social media on my phone. With Saturday Night Live on in the background, I was only half paying attention when I heard “…reporting live from…Latinos4 min readLatinos4 min read
Aug 23, 2021Member-onlyLosing MomAnd the Cost of Grief — “People come, people go, life goes on.” When I was 19, my boyfriend went into nursing. Even though we broke up, we still talked on the phone now and then. After he graduated nursing school, I asked him how his new job was going. He described caring for patients who’d…Mwc Death13 min readMwc Death13 min read
Nov 7, 2020Member-onlyAll That GlittersShe stared at the blonde-haired bully, wondering what she’d done to warrant being treated like this. The moonlight that trickled in through the doorway caught on a rhinestone-covered barrette the girl had in her hair, and Reaina stared as it sparkled. …Fiction6 min readFiction6 min read
Mar 18, 2020Member-onlyTogether AloneA Coronavirus Quarantine Fiction Experiment A kid sat alone on the sidewalk; his straight blonde hair, mussed and dirty, sticking straight up in places. He was wearing a diaper and eating a pudding cup with his fingers. He looked too old to be wearing a diaper. I crossed the street…Fiction21 min readFiction21 min read
Mar 18, 2020Member-onlyCoronavirus Quarantine: A Writing Series ChallengeCoronavirus, the quarantine, and all of the uncertainty that comes along with this unprecedented global viral threat brings so much fear and anxiety. No one knows what to expect, how long this will go on or what tomorrow brings. Rather than succumb to fear, we need to reach out and…Fiction2 min readFiction2 min read
Oct 21, 2019Member-onlyTea Party with a GhostA writing prompt from Tim Clare’s Couch to 80k Writing Bootcamp inspired this story. The prompt was: Breach the veils between worlds. Someone is waiting to speak with you. Tune in to this person’s appearance. Approach them and see what they want. Figerella, she called herself. She had a light…Short Story2 min readShort Story2 min read
Aug 9, 2019Member-onlyQuack Science: The Problem with Marianne WilliamsonIn case you haven’t heard, in recent interviews presidential candidate and self-help guru Marianne Williamson has been busy spreading misinformation about mental illness and its treatment. Specifically, she downplays the severity of clinical depression. Americans Living With Clinical Depression Clinical Depression can be simply and briefly summarized as a chemical imbalance in the brain, with…Mental Health6 min readMental Health6 min read
Jul 29, 2019Member-onlyA Review of the Habitica AppI’ve been using Habitica since 2016. At the time I joined, I was struggling to reincorporate structure into my daily routine. I wanted to be more productive and spend less time on distraction behaviors like gaming, television and social media.Gaming6 min readGaming6 min read
Jul 15, 2019Member-onlyThe MeetingThis story is inspired by one of Tim Clare’s Weekly Writing Workouts. The challenge was to write a scene where one character had a lot of questions, and to ask those questions without using questions. (!) “Hey,” Mark said, giving a quick wave to an older man seated at a…Fiction3 min readFiction3 min read
