In the midst of a pandemic, many of us (including myself) have had a hard time coping with the consequences and yearned for some words of the wiser. Our world seemed to turn upside down so suddenly, and we weren’t ready for such a frightening change. I had the opportunity to FaceTime a 74-year-old senior and interview him to inquire about his perspective and learn from his life story. I first...

Author’s Note: Throughout my life, I have witnessed hatred among many groups of people. Whether these biases are based off of race, gender, sexuality, or religion, I’ve noticed that humans have a tendency to stereotype those around them. When I was growing up in India, people limited the opportunities of women because of societal expectations and preconceived notions. My grandmothers never received...

“Matthias.” A man flicked at his match irritatedly. “What?” “Give me a light.” “You still have your pipe?” “Does it bother you?” The man settled deeper into his layer of fur coating. The neck of the match snapped, and he reached into the matchbox to draw another. Thick brown gloves adorned his fingers, so that he fumbled to grasp at the slender sticks. “No.” The...

If you try to divide by zero, it will split like broken glass. It will shatter in shards, And leave behind it a void. It envelops your eraser shavings, Your broken lead, The blood from your paper cuts, All your sins and vices And the numeral above.   If Johnny cuts a pie into zero pieces, he is never seen again. His house disappears from the street His name...

Prompt: Please tell us more about your cultural background and identity in the space below (100 word limit). If you need more than 100 words, please use the Optional section on Part 2. Essay: Tamil, my mother tongue, is Dravidian, not Indo-European. It is far from English: geographically and temporally.  When I moved to the US from India, I nearly forgot Tamil in my haste to learn English....

Essay: “One foot here, move your leg there, slowly left and right. Good, good! Let’s try again!”   Visiting my grandma’s house every other weekend, I helped her get up and down from her reclining chair while patiently fluffing the cushions to ensure she was comfortable. I would carefully help her move the leg left to right, up and down, while allowing her to set the pace of her exercises....