Why I Traded Tennessee Orange for UConn Blue

Traded might be too strong of a word; I was a Tennessee fan first and became a UConn fan second. But over the past ten years, my blood has leaked UConn blue. I started playing basketball in middle school, and that was the college era of Naperville’s golden girl, Candace Parker. Her Pat Summitt-led Lady Vols... Read more »
By Rachel,
March 28, 2018 at 8:20 pm • 

Don't read the comment section during March Madness*

Don't read the comment section during March Madness*
*If your March Madness includes women’s basketball. We should know better by now. The comment section on the internet is one of the grossest, most misogynistic places I’ve ever laid eyes on, full of an angry breed of people who apparently get off on leaving their grimy, Cheeto-dust cyber-fingerprints on every corner of the internet. And, man,... Read more »
By Rachel,
March 16, 2018 at 7:16 pm • 

The enigma of a vanished musician: Pim Stones

The enigma of a vanished musician: Pim Stones
Over a year ago I added the song “We Have it All” by Pim Stones to one of my writing playlists. It popped up in the Discover Weekly section that Spotify curates every Monday, and it quickly became one of my favorite songs. The artist has a beautiful, distinct voice, and I’ve never been able to shake... Read more »
By Rachel,
February 26, 2018 at 5:44 pm • 
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If we're not going to talk about gun control, can we talk about the shooters?

Irrefutable fact #1: Mass shootings do not happen in other developed countries at the rate that they happen in the United States. Irrefutable fact #2: Facts no longer mean anything. I have given up all hope that we will ever have adequate gun control in the United States. I won’t ever stop fighting for it –... Read more »
By Rachel,
February 15, 2018 at 10:54 am • 

5 Ways to Give Your Friends the Reading Bug

5 Ways to Give Your Friends the Reading Bug
My life mission is to convert everyone I know into a reader. Reading has sprinkled my life with so much joy and magic, and I’ll be damned if my friends miss out on that experience. But it’s not easy. People are resistant to the idea of reading. I partially blame high school English. Apologies to... Read more »
By Rachel,
January 21, 2018 at 11:36 am • 

The 5 stages you go through on your first day of writing class

The 5 stages you go through on your first day of writing class
You did it! You finally decided to sign up for an online writing class. As the first day approaches you are filled with nervous anticipation, knowing that you’re finally taking a step forward but also anxious to get started. The day arrives. You sit down at your desk with a notebook and open your laptop, following... Read more »
By Rachel,
December 23, 2017 at 6:16 am • 
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Your fan theories are ruining your moving-going experience

Your fan theories are ruining your moving-going experience
Fan theories and fandoms can be incredible. The ability to nerd out with random strangers about something that you love is one of life’s great pleasures. I grew up along side the birth of internet fandom. Harry Potter was one of the first fandoms that took off online, primarily during the years-long gaps between books... Read more »
By Rachel,
December 19, 2017 at 8:19 pm • 

My Favorite Books of 2017 (and the female authors who wrote them)

My Favorite Books of 2017 (and the female authors who wrote them)
It’s been a packed year of books and a tough year for women. Maybe in some twisted way it seems triumphant, like a forward march towards equality, but really it’s been painful, angry, and exhausting. 2017 feels like one giant I-told-you-so, but already I can feel the backlash brewing, the Roy Moore’s of the world... Read more »
By Rachel,
December 11, 2017 at 7:14 pm • 

Some sleep-deprived thoughts about reading 52 books in 10 months

Some sleep-deprived thoughts about reading 52 books in 10 months
This is crazy, I’m a monster, and I’m never reading this many books again…  … who am I kidding. I live to out-do myself. Not in 2018. 2018 is going to be for the giant books I’ve been too scared to open for the past three years. But maybe 2019… It’s okay to not finish the book. Reading... Read more »
By Rachel,
December 4, 2017 at 8:54 pm • 
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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is still the most infuriating movie

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is still the most infuriating movie
Time has not softened me on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. This movie has so many WTF moments that it makes my head spin. You have over 600 pages of material to work with and you’re going to drop random, pointless scenes into the middle of the movie? I strongly object. The Harry Potter movie... Read more »
By Rachel,
November 20, 2017 at 8:42 pm •