a man in a maroon t-shirt leaned against a tree trunk curved toward the ground. it was as if the spot had been carved out just for him. –driving home

I’m spoiled with beaches the way I am with swimming pools. I spent summer days lounging around secluded spots in the town where my grandmother grew up, digging my toes in black sand, chasing warm water waves, and swinging on hammocks dangling on coconut trees. Even in Newport Beach, a 30-minute drive that felt like […]

it started with a pink dress that i got on sale on a whim. wearing it made me feel like springtime. when flip-flop weather officially arrived, i bought a bottle of perfect pink nailpolish. normally, the pinks are too shimmery or bright, but this was cool and pearly. i knew i’d made a good choice […]

i have a crush on all things skwish. the name skwish is more than just an artist, one who is a friend of a friend of mine, to me. no, the name to me means wit, style, color, and heart. i really admire him and his work.

Now that you and you and you and you are reading this, I don’t know what to say. Mom, dad, aunts, uncles, even my grandma is reading my website, and I am getting severe stage fright. How will I ever become a real writer, I ask myself, when I am too afraid to tell real […]

each year, the 4th of july becomes more and more about my independence than this country’s. i had a houseguest and a barbeque, i played hostess and tour guide, i scheduled outings and naptime. there were moments of hostess anxiety when i worried that something would go wrong, that we wouldn’t have a good time, […]

a 7-year-old boy named CJ stole my heart. i think it was his big brown doe eyes and grin. he passed out candy and chocolate to the ladies at the wedding we attended. later, i saw him with a lavender garter wrapped around his arm. “do you know what that means?” i asked. “yeah,” he […]

A Softer World is a different kind of comic strip. it’s simple, tender, and beautiful. also, it’s composed solely of photographs and type. the site, run by a girl named emily and a boy named joey, just might break your heart. it broke mine.