I think it’s the pattern of my family to think no one understands me because my reaction to grief is to wish I could be in a white sterile room, to wish I had a great wind surrounding me that could push everything else away.
Memoir & Personal Essay
My Personal Statement
I used this personal statement to apply to college this year. I talk about my journey with finding where I belong as a creative.
Scramble.
This piece showcases a collection of lines from my journal with clips I’ve taken on an old camera.
How to Mourn for Something That Was Never Yours
This recipe/poem explores my longing to establish a connection to my familial ancestry through my grandmother’s delicious cookie recipe. I reveal what I know, what I don’t, and the murky truth in between.
Silver Lining
Babysitting the silly trio was never a chore. Rather, their careless, gleeful babbles were a timely source of solace.
Speaking on Body Liberation with Chrissy King
Tune in to hear author Chrissy King and host Kathryn Destin get candid about body image, fatphobia, disordered eating, social media, and collective liberation.
Speaking on Brushing Up on Your Comedy (Literally)
In this episode, you’ll hear Mentor Tracy Morin, a magazine writer and editor, talk with Mentee Ava Fung, a high schooler from New York City, about her humorous non-fiction piece, “Toothache.”
Speaking on Being ‘Virus Overachievers’
In the very first episode of “Speaking In First Draft,” host Kathryn Destin interviews Mentor Martina Clark about the first draft of her memoir and audiobook “My Unexpected Life: an international memoir of two pandemics, HIV and COVID-19.”
Dear You
Dear You By Julia Mercado Dear You, You are the one who never washed your hair, wore the same sweater…
The Lessons of KuGong
An encounter with an old Chinese grandmother during a hot summer day shoveling compost in Brooklyn.
The Bargains We Make
What sacrifices did we make during the pandemic to sustain our parental relationships? What kind of person have you become since then?
18
Being 18 and wanting to run away from all that you know.
My Mother, Laura
The art of caretaking.
Li’s Kitchen
Growing up as a daughter of resturant owners, I explore the shame of not having parents that could dedicate their time to me and the realization of the sacrifices they made for my happiness.
I Don’t Listen to BTS
This personal essay is a core memory of Summer 2019.