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Smoking

After school, after a divorce, after an earthquake​

A Single Suitcase

We left before they told us to evacuate. I saw the smoke over the hills, knew the ferocity of the Santa Ana winds, and figured it wouldn’t be long before the fire would reach us. I packed a small suitcase.

Making Love

Under the Milky Way, after the fireworks, out of the closet​

When He Was Gone

I felt I was supposed to pretend I was a little sad he was gone — at least, for the first few days. I told him I missed him, because I did. I’m not a complete monster.

The Apostate Of Orange Street

I was dressed and ready for church, waiting while the others bustled about in preparation, when a sudden conviction took hold of me: “I’m not going,” I told my mother.

Sunbeams

The real question is: How sturdy and solid is the floor our civilization stands on? How many lives with no prospects, shattered and senseless, can it bear the weight of before it cracks?

Christa Wolf, City of Angels: Or, The Overcoat of Dr. Freud

Sunbeams

The mistake 99 percent of humanity made, as far as Fats could see, was being ashamed of what they were; lying about it, trying to be somebody else.

J.K. Rowling, The Casual Vacancy

You

Early on I thought about wiping your memory. I might as well admit this to you now. I thought maybe if you stopped believing you were something else on the inside, then you wouldn’t be sad anymore. And you wouldn’t change. This was before your body really began to transform.

We Need To Talk

Anne Hallward On Breaking Our Silence And Overcoming Shame

We develop courage by coming out of hiding, coming out of the closet, and there are thousands of closets.