Advocacy

A drawing of a sunset over a barren wasteland.

An Understanding

I understand, but do you understand—

Image of a Grinch in black and white giving a side eye

You Guys Have the Grinch All Wrong

Since my first watch of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas (2005), I have had a serious bone to pick with the Whos of Whoville.

phone ringing with hands reaching out around it

Just A Ring Away: UVA's Helping Hands (& Voices)

I met with the non-anonymous program director of HELP Line, Jeremiah Clyburn, to shed some light on the truth about this organization, which provides vital mental health support and resources for countless people in the UVA and Charlottesville communities.

a load tea drawing with positive affirmations and embracing people (hugging)

The Annie Zhao Agenda: Promoting Loaded-Teas and Kindness

I've been to Annie's pop-ups twice and wanted to highlight Be Somebody's mission and the wonders of a loaded tea.

different Virginia Guides Service related icons, like stops on their tour, the Rotunda, and merch, a Virginia Guides Service hoodie and pennant

Guides Talk "Guides"

Whether you're looking for a new community or just casually curious, Guides is ready for you.

Picture of a person's body and a tree intertwining

Poetry in Place: Talking Eco-Poetics with MaKshya Tolbert

Earlier this month, I was fortunate enough to have a conversation with the lovely MaKshya Tolbert. In addition to being an artist, award-winning poet, and author of the forthcoming poetry collection Shade is a Place, she was also my first instructor of poetry.

pink and yellow collage with a sparkling yellow hand above the yellow silhouette of a woman's torso, with the text of Audre Lorde's "Uses of the Erotic" on the background

Dangerous Woman

It is ingrained in us that incessant work is essential and rest is a luxury. But where does this mindset come from? 

Two figures watch a TV on a couch in a drab living room. The TV shows, in bright and vibrant colors, Chappell Roan's Grammy performance in which she rides on a giant pink pony

The Pleasure of Knowing a Teacher Like Lisa Speidel

I was not sure what to expect from a class called Pleasure Activism Across Time, but having taken a class with its professor, Lisa Speidel, before, I knew I was in good hands. 

on a pink background, pink and purple strands wind across the screen, connecting with one another in places

Finding Beauty in a Body that Moves

the sun shines brightly, two streetlights visible through rays of light

60 Degrees and Sunny

Last week, when I was walking to class, it was 60 degrees and sunny. Someone played piano from a porch in the distance, and I felt the warmth from the morning light on my face.