PinnedAuthor Confesses ObsessionShe’s a voyeur of words. — Let me introduce myself. I’m Dawn, who’s obsessed with words. Some favorites are redundant because it’s re-dun-dun-t, nonbinary because look how binary it is, and lush because it feels lush to say it. I arrange words into stories about everyday life, to lift your spirits and challenge your assumptions. My…Writing Angst5 min readWriting Angst5 min read
PinnedIt’s 4:30 AM, December 4, and I am stricken by survivor’s guilt.It’s 4:30 AM, December 4, and I am stricken by survivor’s guilt. On this date in 1969, Chicago police, colluding with the FBI, executed Fred Hampton while he slept. He was twenty-one. On this date in 1969, I was midway through my freshman year of college, oblivious. What have I…Fred Hampton1 min readFred Hampton1 min read
Published inZORA·PinnedI Joked About My Husband’s White PrivilegeUntil it wasn’t funny. — Pak’s Alterations squatted third from the corner, one of a handful of tiny businesses that butted up against each other, along the block. A rare books shop, a used-record store, a juice bar. Their doors opened right onto the sidewalk, hand-lettered signs on cardboard stuck in the windows. Curbside customer…Racism3 min readRacism3 min read
Nov 17Damn Fine Sentence #49The trees don’t care — Frequently while I’m reading, a sentence grabs me and forces me to stop. I pay tribute to other authors by sharing their Damn Fine Sentences with you. Then I recount a memory the words bring up for me. It’s about how books connect with your life. “Nature had an infuriating…Peaceful Hike2 min readPeaceful Hike2 min read
Nov 16Damn Fine Sentence #50Frequently while I’m reading, a sentence grabs me and forces me to stop. I pay tribute to other authors by sharing their Damn Fine Sentences with you. Then I recount a memory the words bring up for me. It’s about how books connect with your life. “This town is good…Buddy Ship6 min readBuddy Ship6 min read
Nov 10How Mindfulness Works IRLHey, who invited my childhood to the party? — I grabbed my straw hat from the dashboard as Ben waited beside the car, and then, my hand in his, we followed the aroma of hickory-smoked burgers to the wooden fence that enclosed our friend’s back yard. After a daylong retreat, I anticipated Kate’s barbecue like a kid looking forward…Silent Retreat7 min readSilent Retreat7 min read
Sep 22She’s AwakeIn the presence of a dying stranger, I woke up to the complicated nature of mother-daughter love. — I should have been a better daughter. The oncologist said the lump in Mother’s breast was the biggest and oldest he’d ever seen. A ghostly silhouette on the mammogram of a fifty-year-old. She refused to explain why she’d let it go untreated. Hinted that she didn’t mind dying, and besides…Alzheimers Friendship11 min readAlzheimers Friendship11 min read
Sep 8A Meditation on Old Age, Shame, and Sexual AssaultHappy Golden Years Senior Living (Friends! Fun! Full Service!) is evicting V’s mom, because she needs full-time care, instead of fun. They won’t do her laundry any more; residual fecal matter violates health department codes. They deliver an ultimatum. Move her or they’ll check her in to the emergency room. …Evicting Old People3 min readEvicting Old People3 min read
Aug 25Why You Totaled Your CarPain jackhammers my skull. White hot shards stab my neck. Pins and needles radiate down my shoulders. My jaw aches from the effort to speak, as a chiropractor interviews me. “Have you been in any car accidents?” Dr. Nicole asks. I flinch at the sound of her voice. When I…Muscle Memory7 min readMuscle Memory7 min read
Aug 5When Your Brain Scrambles a MemoryWas it really gold lamé? — When I was a kid, I got locked out of our East 15th Street house. My sibs were asleep; I was in pj’s, hanging out on the screened-in front porch with the bratty neighbor girl. After our usual argument, I opened the door to go back into my house. Bratty…Bratty Kids3 min readBratty Kids3 min read