"Maybe you said something important. All I could hear was music that wasn’t playing." There's so much in here I'd like to underline and bold. This pain of female friendships. So hard to talk about. So hard to forget about. Thank you for bringing this into the world.
This piece is hypnotizing. You slowly bring us into your world with your best friend, and we feel viscerally the connection you had. I think that feeling of wanting to be a replicated version of a person is so universal. I think it’s a requirement for the human experience. You capture that so beautifully here: “I wanted them to look at me that way. No matter how much weight I lost after college or how I tried to replicate your style, I couldn’t conjure your confidence, like how you winked at onlookers that night as if casting a spell.”
Such gorgeous writing, a beautiful story with a sad but true (and relatable) ending. I’m a fan.
Powerful and vivid. I hear the Tori and I smell the cigarettes! I love how you don't cast any eye-rolling at your younger self. You beautifully honor the intensity of those feelings without judging the... youth of them. Your essay gives Younger Kristin the grace she deserves.
Thanks!!! Grace only comes with age and lots (and lots) of revisions. It takes a village to write personal essays, and my writing groups did so much to help shape this 📝
I def wrote it for myself, not with the expectations of anyone reading it. If I stopped to think that anyone might read this, i probably wouldn't have written it. But also I feel like just about any woman from Emerson in the '90s could have written this. I'm such a cliche.Thanks for reading!❤️
My biggest takeaway from this piece -- I'm so glad I'm not in my early 20s anymore. Who the hell let us be adults at 21???
This hit something familiar, like I too had a similar (but different) friendship… but I can’t quite put my finger on it. This is like an echo into my past that I can’t quite name. (Also the Tori detail helped to teleport me to this time / friendship that feels vague but still its presence is there.) Thank you for writing this! It will stay with me for some time. Thank you <3
"Maybe you said something important. All I could hear was music that wasn’t playing." There's so much in here I'd like to underline and bold. This pain of female friendships. So hard to talk about. So hard to forget about. Thank you for bringing this into the world.
Thank you! This one took a looooong time to write.
Exquisite, Kristin! I loved this piece from the first read, and I’m so happy it found the perfect home. Can’t wait to read your next one!
This piece is hypnotizing. You slowly bring us into your world with your best friend, and we feel viscerally the connection you had. I think that feeling of wanting to be a replicated version of a person is so universal. I think it’s a requirement for the human experience. You capture that so beautifully here: “I wanted them to look at me that way. No matter how much weight I lost after college or how I tried to replicate your style, I couldn’t conjure your confidence, like how you winked at onlookers that night as if casting a spell.”
Such gorgeous writing, a beautiful story with a sad but true (and relatable) ending. I’m a fan.
Powerful and vivid. I hear the Tori and I smell the cigarettes! I love how you don't cast any eye-rolling at your younger self. You beautifully honor the intensity of those feelings without judging the... youth of them. Your essay gives Younger Kristin the grace she deserves.
Thanks!!! Grace only comes with age and lots (and lots) of revisions. It takes a village to write personal essays, and my writing groups did so much to help shape this 📝
This is truly beautiful
Sadly in life friends come and friends go. Some forgotten completely. Luckily those we had deep connections with stay in mind forever.
Part of me hopes she see this and part of me hopes she doesn't. True OG's know you were always a catch and a giant crush. ❤️
I def wrote it for myself, not with the expectations of anyone reading it. If I stopped to think that anyone might read this, i probably wouldn't have written it. But also I feel like just about any woman from Emerson in the '90s could have written this. I'm such a cliche.Thanks for reading!❤️
My biggest takeaway from this piece -- I'm so glad I'm not in my early 20s anymore. Who the hell let us be adults at 21???
I loved this. Thank you for sharing all of this. So beautiful written…
Thanks for reading!
This hit something familiar, like I too had a similar (but different) friendship… but I can’t quite put my finger on it. This is like an echo into my past that I can’t quite name. (Also the Tori detail helped to teleport me to this time / friendship that feels vague but still its presence is there.) Thank you for writing this! It will stay with me for some time. Thank you <3
Do you think she'll see this? I hope you get a chance to talk with her. Powerful and poignant essay; thank you for sharing it.
I think the more important action was the writing. To write this i had to let go of any kind of expectations and find beauty in words.