Quitting Social Media: A Successful Digital Detox

At the beginning of April, I set a goal for myself: with a couple exceptions, I wouldn’t be checking social media for a month. I expected it to be challenging. Up until then, I’d been using social media as a distraction and an excuse for not reading or writing (or, more importantly, making face-to-face connections …

Digital Detox: Making Time For What Matters

Recently, I’ve noticed a trend. I get home from a long day of work, throw myself on my bed, and unlock my phone. I lay there, shoes still on, switching between apps. Half an hour goes by, and I’m not sure what I’ve actually taken in. An hour goes by, and my eyes begin to …

25 things for 25 years

I turned 26 this weekend. To celebrate, I packed up my books and journals and laptop and headed down to Point Roberts to stay for a few days, WiFi free. And honestly, it was the best birthday present I could have given myself. Why? Because, at this point in my life, I know myself. I …

2018 Wrap Up + 2019 Goals

Sometimes it’s easy to forget how far you’ve come in a year. January blends into April, and before you know it the sticky summer heat is replaced by blistering winter winds. Everything that’s happened during this time - the friends you’ve made, the stories you’ve written, the places you’ve been - begin melting together. And …

12 Days of Bookmas – The Night Circus

Title: The Night Circus Author: Erin Morgenstern Genre: Fantasy Read it if: You’re ready to become irrevocably attached to a fantasy world “You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone's soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows that they might …

12 Days of Bookmas – Big Magic

Title: Big Magic Author: Elizabeth Gilbert Genre: Self-help Read it if: You’re not happy with the direction your creative journey is going “Do whatever brings you to life, then. Follow your own fascinations, obsessions, and compulsions. Trust them. Create whatever causes a revolution in your heart.” A couple years ago, I was in a creative …

12 Days of Bookmas – The Mobius Strip Club of Grief

Title: The Mobius Strip Club of Grief Author: Bianca Stone Genre: Poetry Read it if: You want to be crushed under a sea of emotion   Last April, less than 24 hours after completing my undergrad, I took a road trip down to San Francisco. I didn’t have any specific plans for once I got …

12 Days of Bookmas – How to Talk to Anyone

Title: How to Talk to Anyone Author: Leil Lowndes Genre: Self-help Read it if: You’re stuck in how to interact with others “Take consolation from the fact that the brighter the individual, the more he or she detests small talk.” If you only met me in the past four years, you’d never guess that I …

12 Days of Bookmas – 1996

Title: 1996 Author: Sarah Peters Genre: Poetry Read it if: You want something relatable about relationships and growing up   I got this book by accident. My friend bought it at a stand-alone poetry book sale at our university, then realized he didn’t like the style or the content. So, he gave it to me. …

12 Days of Bookmas – Goya

Title: Goya Author: Pocket Library of Great Art Genre: Art History Read it if: You want to see Goya’s paintings other than “Saturn Devouring His Son”   I took an art history course in my first year of university. I chose it because it looked fun, but also because it looked easy. I’d always had …