Essays
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The National Shutdown
Tomorrow, Friday January 30th, there will be a national shutdown to protest the ongoing, egregious violence being perpetrated by ICE and other federal law enforcement agents in Minneapolis and all across the country. In solidarity, we won’t be posting any…
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A Geometry of Silence
“Sometimes I think the house should be the one to speak. Let the drywall testify to how long we went without touching. Let the baseboards admit how often I cleaned, hoping order would quiet the ache. Let the doorjamb where…
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What They Don’t Teach You About Collapse
The particular form of governance being implemented in Gaza has a shape to it. It’s recognizable if you know what to look for. It’s the same shape that appeared in other places, at other times: the architecture of separation, the…
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Turmeric, Nine Ways
The first stomachaches grip me tightest at night. I watch the sliver under my bedroom door, waiting for Amma’s feet, for her hand on the ache. When I hear a sound that could be the snap of a suitcase or…
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Gaar Adams’ “ Guest Privileges Deconstructs” “Isn’t it Harder There?” for LGBTQ+ People in the Gulf
To witness the bureaucracy and legalities that don’t stop queer and trans people from simply existing is a witnessing worth entering into.
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Rumpus Original Essay: Center of Gravity
I’ve always been good at picking Ethan out of a crowd. When you love someone, you know where they are. I can taste the roar and purr of the ice under his blades. I imagine his parents watching him as…
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The Rumpus: Redesigned
When Debbie Millman and I decided to buy The Rumpus, one of the first things we wanted to do was redesign the website which was great but due for a refresh. For the past several months, we have worked with…
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On Nature Writing, Growing up an Indoor Kid, and Walmart as Landscape
We see the world through high resolution filters. Brands become our chaperones to exotic landscapes. Never mind the break in aesthetic—the golden arches pop-up along the interstate while driving through Death Valley like the sudden appearance of a roadside oasis.…
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House of Three Rooms
“The body flicks the lights on. A yellowing glow floods the interior, like a head full of nothing. The lights are on, goes the saying, but nobody’s home. My father says this about the dog too dumb to hunt. The…
