listening

Listening is Critical | Paul Gaszak

During my last few years of undergrad, I worked as a supervisor at a Chicago Tribune distribution warehouse in the southwest suburbs. The job was seven nights a week, in the middle of the night. It was an exhausting routine. Thankfully, I worked with some fun and interesting people, which brought a touch of joy and humor to the nightly grind. The nature of the job had us standing at workstations for at least a few hours a night as […]

black superman

Black Superman | Josie Woodall

I had a framed photo hanging prominently in the entrance of my apartment. Most people recognized that the photo was taken in the Oval Office of the White House. They also recognized the two old, white, jovial men flanking the black man in the middle as George Bush Sr. and Ronald Reagan. But then, “Is that…” They took a closer look at the man in the middle, “Is that your dad?!” My dad wore many hats: politician, social justice warrior, social […]

white car

The Trip | Josephine Woodall

  As cool as I think Jack Kerouac is, there is no way he would have been able to make it across America on that budget, that dream, and those degenerates he called friends in 2010. It’s bullshit but, because of him, I tried it. Between desperately wanting to be part of the beatniks and believing the notion that driving across the country was cheaper than flying, which, SURPRISE, it isn’t, I, along with three of my best friends from […]

It Exists | Josephine Woodall

Around September of 2014 I stopped lying to myself. I stopped the charade of not wanting a relationship and “loving the single life.” I stopped convincing myself that my one-sided friendships were fulfilling enough for me, and I was happy without a significant other. I also stopped believing that it was socially acceptable to go on dates with people I met on Tinder. If you take anything from this, please, I beg you, don’t go on any more Tinder dates. […]