Day & Night & Day Again
and a little bit of news
DAY
“She hates it and it stresses her out” — loudly.
“And she’s not good at it” — quietly.
“She hates it and it stresses her out and she’s not good at it” — even more loudly.
— two work friends in a cafe in midtown, talking about their manager.
The writer used to work in midtown, but she had a great manager.
The writer came to the cafe alone then, as now.
NIGHT
In a dream about the end of the world, I ask my third grade teacher for a few words of wisdom, and immediately regret it. She looks very tired, her forehead to the wall.
“Thing is,” I tell her, “I am able to leave here because I know I will return the next day. But today feels different, today feels like the last day.”
I wake up parched. Drink straight from the tap.
DAY AGAIN
First barbecue at the new-to-us house.
The forecast shifts and shifts again. In the end, the sun is out and the sky is blue. For a few minutes here and there, it rains lightly while the sun shines and we turn our faces up to receive it.
Our friend’s baby discovers the watering can and waters her own feet. She allows herself to be swept up and spun about. We waltz. I return her under protest.
We learn that we should cut the limes into wedges before the guests arrive. We learn about breaking corn in half before grilling it.
We learn how to make coffee in a Bialetti. (We don’t: the rosé renders the Bialetti ritual a dream. We learn we listen better without rosé.)
That honeysuckle has found its way from our neighbors’ garden to ours: over and through the slatted fence.
That the cat can fit into the smallest of spaces and give us a good scare.
That it feels good to feel loved, and to love.
NEWS
I’m excited to share that I’m a 2025 Writing Fellow at A Public Space!
A couple of months ago, I sent them “JUNCO & WOLF,” a short story inspired by my junior year studying in Moscow, and to my delight, they liked it, they chose it!
So, what does it meant to be a Fellow?
This summer, I will work with an editor to revise my story, which will appear in the Winter issue of A Public Space. I’ll be attending writing workshops and participating in a public reading (save the date: 9/17 in Brooklyn). The fellowship is essentially a system of support for an emerging writer. Huge thanks to A Public Space!
Divinity School goes out every Sunday at sunset. Everyone gets every letter; paid subscribers get access to the Archive (nearly two years of letters)!
