My mom’s dog is a sweetheart — until I try to stand up. — Last month, I moved back to my Mom’s place in Southern California. It’s been quite the transition (especially going back to the 100-degree heat, which has actually been kind of refreshing) but for the most part, it’s been smooth. With one outstanding exception. Say hello to Daisy.

I can’t spin my weight into something good or lovable. — I am a fat person. Over the years, my mom’s told stories about how, at my earliest checkups, around 12 months old, the doctors were worried that she was overfeeding me because, guess what, I was overweight. But, despite that not being the case, I was fat. I still remember…

Traditional publishing drives me kinda batty. — I have been working on my current book for a long, long time. Too long, by any reasonable standard. One of the most basic pieces of advice that people will give to new and aspiring writers is that they have to finish things, then let go of them. I’ve given…

How do you live inside a space that isn’t yours? — A certain weariness of being. I’ve had a strange relationship with my body for a long time. But as the years go on, the worse it gets. I wonder how it is for other people. For a long time, my body has always felt like a thing I possess, rather than an intrinsic part of…