Category: blog
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I turned twenty-nine yesterday. Not exactly a milestone birthday, twenty-nine, but it felt special. The number buzzed and fizzed like sparkling wine in my brain. Twenty-nine. TWENTY-NINE! Twenty. Nine. I tasted its bittersweetness like Aperol on my prefrontal cortex, savoring the new flavor. One year closer to thirty but one year farther from nineteen. What…
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No Basis for Comparison
This week, I finally sat down and read the works of some of my writer friends. I clicked through their websites and read their personal essays and short fiction with growing awe and admiration for them. Many of the pieces I read left me a crying mess of tangled love, appreciation, and embarrassment as I…
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“Horror Movie Highway” A Tale of ADHD Burnout, Depression, and Dissociation
When I sat down to write today, I opened a draft I started in March entitled, “Battling Burnout,” which I had ironically felt too burnt out to finish writing. At the time, I could not think of anything valuable to say. “Hello, my dears, I am exhausted and think I might have taken on too…
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International Women’s Day: Sometimes Known as AFAB Guilt Day
First and foremost, I wish a “Happy International Women’s Day” to everyone who identifies as a woman. I hope your day is full of love, honor, and empowerment. You deserve to feel encouraged and inspired today. The past few weeks have left me little time to devote to writing for pleasure or self-fulfillment. Yet today,…
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Writing Revelations (a.k.a. A Journal Entry from Laundry Day)
I wrote this entry in my journal almost a week ago at the tail end of a particularly debilitating depressive episode. For my fellow writers who struggle with mental health, imposters syndrome, or are going through a rough patch, I hope that this speaks to you. January 18th, 2023 I folded the laundry today. I…
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Poetry In [Rapid] Motion
I published my first poetry chapbook, My Family Tree Caught Fire, with Bottlecap Press. The chapbook dropped on January 7th, and I could not be happier with the result! The cover art is beautiful, the publishing company supports smaller artists, and they were a dream to work alongside in this venture. After a year of…
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New Year, New Me?
Happy 2023, everyone! I hope your New Year’s celebrations were filled with joy, peace, and merriment. We shared a lovely, quiet night in my household. My spouse and I played games with our children and watched the ball in Times Square drop live (this may have been so our children could go to bed at…
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Welcome, Friends!
My name is Beni Tobin, and I am delighted to have you here. Normally, I would skip the small talk and dive right into an uncomfortable bout of oversharing. However, as we are just getting to know one another, I will offer you a few personal details to whet your appetite. I am a genderqueer,…