Stand up for what’s right. But first, make sure you look in the mirror long enough to see what’s wrong. — Dear White Friends, Thank you to the five of you who have reached out to ask me how I’m doing. I have been your Black friend for decades. Black people all my life have told me that White friends will only be there for me for so long, and I…

We just don’t have a real example of accountability — I’m really tired of hearing the word “cancelled.” I’m tired of it not only because all of my favorite events over the past year have been cancelled, or that the places I once loved and the people who I once looked up to have been called out for being problematic…

You’re just saying you do so you don’t seem racist — Gabby Petito is everyone’s favorite true crime victim right now. I’ll start off by saying that the internet’s obsession with her death is sick, and our extreme normalization of stalking under the guise of being an “internet sleuth” is wildly disturbing — but in context, it makes sense. From the…

Self-sabotage, fear, and resistance in turning art into a career. Someone asked me today when I started writing. I paused for a long time. “What do you mean?” He thought for a second and replied, “yeah, I guess that’s a weird question to ask a writer.” The truth is, even…

TW: Body Image, Weight, Dieting, Body Shame I went on my first diet at 8 years old. Young, yes. But I was a product of screens. My parents would often leave my sisters and I at home during the summer months, usually occupying ourselves by taking bike rides and sitting…

We’re getting called out, what are we going to do about it? — When I was a kid in school I remember my teachers saying “we have two ears and only one mouth, so we should be listening twice as much as we talk.” One teacher in particular would single out kids who were talking while she was teaching, saying “if you’re talking…

Transposed to text as performed by Elyse Cizek. Written for live performance Feb 2017. I like men who look like they’re dyin — — from heroin Holdin their shit together with green juice and guitar strings to keep it clean keep it clean keep it clean I like men…

TW: Mention of drug use and a handful of cuss words. February 18th, 2016 was a day like any other day. I worked in the morning and had the following day off, so I was going to celebrate my mini weekend with a night out. I got my hair done…

I hate it when people say Valentine’s Day is “just a Hallmark holiday” or “just another day.” I want to celebrate it so badly. …