I met Zach Jukel, or Jukes, my freshman year at ASU. I was initially struck by his confidence, and then by his continued achievements; I remember one night at Buca Di Beppo, he ate nearly his entire plate of pasta, which, if you haven’t been, is a big accomplishment, seeing as a single portion could…
“My name’s Stella,” I told him, trying my best to answer as if I were talking to a substitute teacher – not rude… just, blase. I assumed girls pursued him regularly wherever he went because that’s what happens to anyone that’s made a name for themselves, isn’t it? We build a fascination with this beautiful…
When Devon and I spoke about myself writing a piece for “Coffee and a Question,” first and foremost, I was of course honored, but also, in a really good place mentally. Quarantine had served me well. Existing in a place of peace and momentum I, of course jumped at the opportunity. Let me get honest…
Listen to the Audio Version Instead: I’m troubled… as I’m sure many were when finishing the documentary about Jeffrey Epstein. I must (shamefully) admit, I knew nothing about Jeffrey before going into the documentary, outside of his extreme wealth. The title of the doc did nothing to inform me, either— FILTHY RICH… how about “Jeffrey…
4th of July… Independence Day –I’ve thought about what to write in honor of this national holiday and my options have gone back and forth between the recounting some of my favorite memories and taking a step back to really understand what I’m celebrating as an American on the 4th of July… and why I…
When I got a message from Taylor informing me she was ready to tell her story but needed help telling it, I was excited, then honored, then extremely intimidated, not only because I’d known and loved her brother since elementary school, but because the Yarnell fire that took 19 hotshots will forever be etched into…
What is grief? If we were to boil it down to one word, I think collectively we could agree that grief is loss. 2020 has made its mark on all of us, causing immense grief – with COVID, we lost our sense of normalcy, some lost their jobs, relationships were torn apart, while mental health…
What a challenge it must’ve been, becoming a dad to someone who didn’t remember having one. You embraced my feminine nature, teaching me softball as we played out in the beating sun. You built me a fort, which was really more of a house, complete with monkey bars and a swing. You showed me a…
Racism… what a triggering word, right? At the start of this work, if someone asked whether I was racist, my immediate response would be to jolt my head back, push my brows down as if to say ‘are you crazy?’ and respond with a defensive “no, of course not!” But racism, I’ve discovered, is often…