Illustration by Ji Yoon Sim | @moonbebb Author’s Note ‘Jenny’ explores the evolving relationship of a girl and her grandmother Po Po (婆婆 pópo – maternal grandmother in Cantonese). It is a fictionalized continuation of my essay For My Family that I wrote in 2021, and is set in the same universe as the short story Joey that I wrote in 2023. I began ‘Jenny’ during my … Continue reading jenny: a short story
Dear freshman year Katie, I’ve already forgotten many small details of beginning Duke during a global pandemic. But reading about your thoughts on your first month of college brings everything back. I remember relishing every in-person class like it was a field trip and feeling sweat rolling down my back as I debated when to “unmute” myself on Zoom classes — those were interesting times. … Continue reading letters to myself
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Illustration by Ji Yoon Sim | @moonbebb A subway train streaks through the guts of Lower Manhattan, rushing past the sewers and cables and the millions of rats crawling over them. It barrels north. It’s a Friday evening, and Joey is heading home on this train. As usual, his Herschel backpack is tucked between his knees, and he’s listening to Spotify’s “Chill Mix” playlist through beaten headphones. … Continue reading joey: a short story
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Note: There are four pages to this piece. This memoir is dedicated to the music educators who showed me the magic of the performing arts; to my musical peers, who are now some of my closest friends; and to my parents, who supported me from the moment I said I wanted to learn to play the clarinet. June 2022 The house lights dim in Carnegie … Continue reading Ode to clarinet
June 2012 The field behind the Warren library is quiet on 364 days out of the year, but tonight the lawn has been transformed into a wonderland of thrilling rides, carnival games, and dazzling rainbow lights. Middle schoolers hurl darts at balloons, young parents hoist grinning toddlers, and teenagers come just “for the vibes” to eat nostalgic fried Oreos. Thick barbecue smoke entwines with chatter … Continue reading friendship
Time bursts with color, emotion, and energy. It is where human existence unfolds and it is the very medium in which we live our lives. Continue reading time is the medium in which we live our lives
It’s Sunday morning, and Family Weekend is over. I spent two and a half loaded days with my parents cheering for the Duke basketball team, performing my first live band concert since February 2020, and taking pictures. Lots of them. Now I stand by the curb and watch as my parents drive out of my dorm parking lot to head home, my heart hollow. Take … Continue reading college is not for the nosy introvert
Family is the unbreakable cord that ties people together. Family is the trunk you can always lean on and the home you can always go back to. Continue reading For my family
I thought high school would last forever. The girl who was swept along by a mob of tall scary teenagers on her first day of freshman year couldn’t comprehend the breadth of four years in that huge unfamiliar place. Yet, the four years zipped by at light speed and she graduated. I graduated. In hindsight, high school felt like a coloring book. The outlined shapes … Continue reading (Young) Adult Reckoning
Katie Tan 