Growing up, I would use any name except my own. It was partly because I didn’t feel worthy of my full name, Emanuelle, and partly because I didn’t like my nickname, Emmie. Eventually, I grew.
Nonfiction
Freedom through the pages
Finding a breakthrough in the form of writing. Looking up to other writers that have inspired me to no longer allow myself to drown in my own mindless thoughts.
Starman
A story about martians, but mostly, about humanity.
Bifurcating Trees
This was written in a bout of nostalgia. Looking at old family albums, and how my relatives were a sea away, but it felt much further and I wondered what time will do to us.
“Did you hear her Spanish?”
A short story about my relationship with language and Puerto Rican identity.
Una breve historia sobre mi relación con el lenguaje y mi identidad Puertorriqueña. Izabell estaba muy emocionada de tener la oportunidad de trabajar con Fellow de Girls Write Now, Sally Familia, en la traducción de su historia del Inglés al Español.
to my past and present
To myself, who could never find the words about me.
To my dad, who made me doubt myself; thank you for trying.
The Postcard Monologues
A small story of a girl’s romantic encounters, mannerisms, and meetings told through her own POV and the perspective of a postcard she keeps in her room.
Love’s Sacrifice
Most people know their boundaries when it comes to love. I’m still trying to figure out mine.
Mom Pants
I have always been perceived to be younger than I actually was; at first, I was not too fond of it, but it eventually grew on me.
I Once Thought I Knew Myself
This piece offers a discussion on how 2020 was a year that gave me time to reflect on myself.
Kill Them with Laughter, Kill Me with Peanuts
Allergies make you vulnerable. In my case, more mentally than physically, despite the physical severity a peanut poses. The piece below takes the reader inside my mind as I fear for my life.
Oma’s Hands
“Oma” is the German word for grandma. These two short memoirs are the beginning of a larger collection centering around my Oma and how my perception of her has changed over time.
The Smiling Eyes
Like the title of this anthology, I often feel like I am the other side of everything as I navigate my life in the USA as a Korean immigrant.
Bitter Berries
This piece explores the impact of grief and disenchantment in the process of growing up.
Sun and Moon
A short essay I wrote while staring at my sun and moon.