I wrote this piece about growing up and being surrounded by other girls based on my notes app.
All the girls,
Bye, Binary: A Story Collection on Gender
I was conditioned as a little girl to think that I was inferior to men. “You hit like a girl,” “Stop being such a little girl,” “You sound like a spoiled little girl,” or even “You’re such a pussy,” versus “You got some balls.”
And so, men are told to man up, that crying makes them weak. So when Harry Styles wears a dress on the cover of Vogue, society says to “bring back manly men.”
Double standards. Gender norms. They are breaking everyone.
–Mentee Amihan del Rosario Tapan
The Step Calculator of Life
A whimsicial narrative of my life as my step count increases. Throughout my journey, I meet different parts of myself, from Curiosity to Shame. It’s a story of how these “people” have helped me grow.
Subway Creep
An evocative piece of flash fiction meant to draw the reader into the author’s encounter with a so-called subway creep.
The Karate Girl
A harrowing experience during a late night commute in New York City teaches a teenage girl more about finding her inner strength.
Thank You, Dr. Mary Beck: Meet the Trailblazing Ukrainian American Councilwoman Who Saved My Family
More than 4.6 million refugees have fled Ukraine with the onslaught of Putin’s brutal invasion. More than 70 years ago, my Dido (Grandfather) Osyp, Babtsia (Grandmother) Maria, and Teta (Aunt) Helen escaped Ukraine too, thanks to the heroic efforts of a Ukrainian-American woman named Mary (Marusia) Beck.
I Am Your Vision
A poem about the internalized male gaze that verbalizes the ways it affects my thinking and everyday life.
Invisible Worlds: Ms. Bingley and Mary
After reading Pride and Prejudice together this year, we decided to write poems from the perspectives of two women in the story who are misunderstood and brushed aside.
In Search of An America Boy
This piece is about patriarchal ideals within my culture and the way they have affected the women in my family.
Untold Expectations
There’s an untold story behind every woman.
15×52
Kat and Lucia are a mentor and mentee pair of short girls living in NYC. They may be little, but they’re loud in a conversation about body image and self-confidence.
The Power that Lies in Femininity
What does it take to be a girl? What does it mean to be unequivocally feminine?
Little Lamb
“Little Lamb” is about giving up.
Day of Characters
A short story about the first step of what other people considered this woman’s breakdown.
Fingers that Linger
This is a short narrative essay reflecting on the discomfort I feel regarding the sexual assault I experienced in the past. I express how I wish to move on from it, but I feel stuck.
As Queer as a Nine-Bob Note
The inner dialogue of two people who want the same thing.