Darlene Conner, I'm calling you my Valentine because it's nearly February 14 and you're hella important to me. But I never had a crush on you; I just identified with you deeply (as, I'm sure, did scores of mold-breaking, sarcastic-but-vulnerable, masculine-energied young girls in the 1990s). Some of us were paying closer attention than others.... Continue Reading →
Steeped in classic poetry, teenage me automatically wrote about everyday things in high-flung terms. It was the language that felt most available and came most naturally. It never occurred to me NOT to display naked longing, but my indulgences were confined to my imagination or written in controlled forms, which felt safe and dignified. I... Continue Reading →
*Note: Richmond Memories was a series produced by Virginia Public Media that I saw on our local PBS station (WCVE) years ago. It covered reminiscences of life in the Richmond, VA area from the 1920s through the 1960s. In my mind I revisit a handful of places more frequently than others. Having grown up in... Continue Reading →
The Sold Kingdom 