I didn’t speak to my father much by 2011, when Margaret went to Cadet Camp. I tried, as well as I could, to be a good daughter, but our conversations had always felt off, even when I was young. I remember one night, when I was still at home, around age 14 or 15, and… Read More Emblem of Our House: Cadet
I didn’t know Margaret had a best friend. I’d known for a while that big events pull people out of crevices. I found myself worried about people showing up who hadn’t known her, not really, reaching out to leach off of the pain. There’s something about hubbub that functions like fire, that turns people into… Read More Emblem of Our House: Friends
As a child, Liz Taylor-McMullen needed to learn at least two instruments. It was a requirement her parents had for their five children, of which Liz was the youngest. “I really look up to all of my older siblings,” Liz said. “Every single one of them has something amazing or cool about them, whether they… Read More Liz Taylor-McMullen: “I hope we come out with another renaissance.”
The anxiety crawled up my throat from my stomach. People were looking at her on the train. He wasn’t her baby, and she was only 12. I knew there was no way that the baby was hers, of course, but she was young, and she was looking at him with tenderness and wearing him in… Read More Emblem of Our House: Family
The shock hits first; the grief, second. The shock I could handle. I’d experienced that before. Adrenaline was easy once there are pre-programmed responses, once a body has experienced a situation a few times. Hitting the waves isn’t too bad after that. I took care of my responsibilities, contacting the people who needed to know… Read More Emblem of Our House: Villain
Three years ago, at age 55, Terry Fox stepped into her very own house. She hadn’t thought it was possible. She’d always wanted a home, especially after growing up in the housing projects of Coney Island. “It just seemed like people in houses were more stable and happier and better adjusted,” she explained. “It’s like… Read More Houses and homes
I first interviewed Robert in 2018. Here’s my follow-up interview on how his work was impacted by the pandemic and what he’s up to now. Robert Bean’s responsibilities haven’t changed much recently. As a visual storyteller focusing mainly on painting and drawing, he gets up at 6:30 am and works in his studio for six… Read More Robert Bean: “I’m hoping that people don’t lose that creative aspect that they found during all of this.”
Nothing bad happens when I’m making art. I was a dancer first, at age 3, enrolled at a studio in Brooklyn. I danced until I was 11. By then, we’d lived in Pennsylvania for two years. I studied ballet, jazz, and tap. We’d been working really hard on recital pieces when Schlep learned that the… Read More Emblem of Our House: Art
They created their pieces for six months. Chris Swasta, a potter, and Hannah Genevieve Lawrence, a macrame artist, took the first three months to create on their own, then they spent the rest of the time weaving their work together. They’d been approached by Amanda Seevers, the Director of Communications at Thea Foundation last fall, and… Read More Chris Swasta: “Keep making.”
The morning she died, I was tired. I woke up late that day. I didn’t have to go to the farm. I had Reggie, a small Yorkie I was dogsitting. I had a dentist appointment that afternoon. I’d finally gotten financially to a point where I could afford to go every six months. I went… Read More Emblem of Our House: Gone