My mentor Caroline gave me the free-writing prompt, “What does it mean to be in my body?” I immediately began thinking of my own experiences being someone who is both female-bodied and chronically ill.
Nonfiction
The Seasons of Love
Love has been written about in thousands of ways across the short 4.5 billion years the earth has spun around the moon. Read the perspective of this young, hopeful romantic, navigating nature and the seasons of love.
Back From Aruba
“Back From Aruba” is about how I began to encounter parts of being a teenager on this trip I took with my nephews Andrew and Jack.
The Pieces of Us
Do physical things mark the passage of time? What we hope to reveal is that these seemingly mundane objects have lives beyond the obvious—and that they’re filled with love, pain, stress and hope.
5 Ways to Celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year From Home
With the impact of COVID-19, events have continued to move from large, in-person celebrations to virtual gatherings, including the 16-day Lunar New Year.
A Winter in Quarantine; My One Year Story
And then I feel anxiety for a good thirty minutes, hating how I was the only one concerned at that moment
What Does it Mean that TikTok Users Are Getting Their News From the Platform?
Social media is revolutionizing the way we receive information, from beauty hacks to geopolitical conflict. Why misinformation can spread this way—and how to minimize consuming it in your own reading.
On the Intersection Between Teenage Sexuality and the Objectivity of Women Across Races
This piece analyzes a girl’s friendship with a boy at school, one that shows her that taking ownership of her sexual desires should be done without shame.
Seepage
Spilling thoughts on paper; the unrefined, unfiltered, unmuted musings of Lavera Yul.
I’m sorry. I didn’t do it right.
This personal essay is a capsule documenting life in my bedroom and wherever else I’ve spent time since the pandemic upended normal life. Since March, I’ve been daydreaming and losing time through fantasy and writing.
Epileptic Born
Have you ever known someone with epilepsy? Or ever wondered what happens when someone is having a seizure? Well let my words of my health introduce you to the world of being a victim of epilepsy.
Martha ‘Marty’ Farias
2020 f*cked with us all, and no words can describe the pain and trauma people all over the world went through. This is a tribute to the people we lost, to the pain.
Christmas in the City
I was inspired to write this piece in December 2020 when I was absorbing the Christmas spirit in a shut-down New York City.
A Harvest of Memories
Hi, I’m Alyssa. I’m excited to be able to present my work to you! I love nature, and I hope this piece is able to transport you all to the countryside with me.
Negativity Is Destruction
I was inspired by the illusions in my head as if there was a hamster in a wheel and it kept spinning. I felt that the only way to get the wheel to stop was to write my thoughts out on paper.