Essays Archives - Page 8 of 14

The Night of Little Big Man

I was a watcher: Sometimes my father called me a hawk, taking in everything. Most especially him. I knew when he was angry by the clench of his fists and his jaw. When he relaxed at the piano, his shoulders rode lower on his body.

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The Muralist

The thing about living with my ex’s mural of his own ex about two hundred feet from my apartment was that I loved it.

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An Apparent Lowering of Moral Standards in the Lepidoptera

“Is this sex?” “No.” “Is this sex?” “No.” “How about now?” “Maybe.” “I think so.” “Probably.”

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Stripped: The Novel Didn’t Work

The year my baby turned sixteen was the year my novel died.

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The Most-Read Essays of 2022

Essays are all about reflection, and we thought we’d kick off 2023 with a look at the most-read pieces of last year. It can sometimes feel like hours (years) of…

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From the Archive: The Saturday Rumpus Essay: DNA

Of course, maybe dividing the world into two kinds of people is just another way of making sure there is a crack in everything. When can you smooth out this fault line?

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From the Archive: The Weight of Our Living: On Hope, Fire Escapes, and Visible Desperation

I want to leave the party through the window and find my uncle standing on a piece of iron shaped into visible desperation, which must also be (how can it not?) the beginning of visible hope.

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Anecdotal and Harsh

The thing about trauma is that it can split a person right down the middle. And J. was, indeed, bifurcated in this way. That is, she occupied multiple timelines simultaneously.

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Space to Breathe

We inhale when we’re born, then breathe and breathe and breathe until one day we exhale our final breath.

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Voices on Addiction: Whatever Fatal Thing

D— was dreamy in the precise manner of Neil Young circa 1974. Long, dark hair; green eyes; great butt; nice smile. He was sweet, funny, just tall enough. Wore a…

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