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The Cat Xylem
Written December 7th 2010, one of my “Biology” stories. I originally created these stories to help me study for my Biology exams, but eventually I expanded them, creating a whole cast of characters based on biological terminology and phenomena. “The Cat Xylem” narrates the beginning of a feline’s voyage throughout the micronation of Nounaim, a ...
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That Which We Call a Rose
Written August 13th 2010, originally for Conscience Round. A sort of story born from reflections on my literary name twin, the title character from Jane Austen’s “Emma”, and Dolores from Vladimir Nabokov’s “Lolita”. Someone needs to do for Emma what Nabokov did for Lolita. I am sorry, but I am no Janeite, and I hanker ...
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El País de las Maravillas
Written in 2009 for the Mislata Young Writer’s Spanish Short Story Competition. “El País de las Maravillas” is based on Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”. It narrates Alice Liddell’s slow descent into insanity, and her influence on a hospital docent and her niece, Cheshire. This story went on to win 1st place – La ...
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Sense Títol
“Sense Títol” was written in 2010, for the Vicent Peris i Valls Valencian Poetry competition. It went on to win 2nd place – Segons la meua mare, mai vaig aprendre a caminar sinó que vaig posar les mans a terra i tirí cap amunt sense ajuda, de l’única manera que sabia. Hui és un dia ...
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Woman
Written April 23rd 2011, one of several pieces about my experience being female. Originally from Conscience Round. It was featured on Schmutizie’s Five Star Friday’s (a weekly post that displays the best of the web) – Every so often I put one hand on the waistband of my jeans and pull as hard as I ...
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Summer Gods
Written on June 17th 2010 – Midday finds her in front of the stove, frying two eggs in butter. Even with the windows open in the kitchen, it’s hot enough to justify idleness, not that she believes she requires any justification. She’s been reveling in childhood pleasures all morning: full glasses of milk, improvised calisthenics ...
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716 Herbaceous Plants
Written February 21st 2010, as part of my Dewey Decimal series, in which I picked a Dewey Decimal classification at random and wrote a story about it. This would eventually evolve into my Stanford EPGY story, and later on “Toru & Pike”. “716 Herbaceous Plants” was originally posted on Conscience Round, my personal writing blog ...
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Toru & Pike (Stanford EPGY Version)
This was the final draft of my Stanford Education Program for Gifted Youth story (summer 2010). It was written in the course of two days (some eight hours of straight writing). This story was later expanded into a fully-fledged novel in November of 2010, when I participated in NaNoWriMo – In the morning, Toru drags ...
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Oranges
“Oranges” was written in a week’s time for the preliminary phase of NYC Midnight Short Story Competition 2011. The prompt was “fantasy/a bank robbery”. “Oranges” passed the first round, and during the final phase I wrote “Guts”, which would end up winning 9th place. – The bank teller motions for her to come forward. Nino ...
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Ground Tissue
Written December 3rd 2010. The very first of the “Biology” pieces. A character sheet for three troublesome sisters – Parenchyma: the most superlative-worthy of three sisters, she is the oldest, the prettiest, the smartest and the most murderous. Sly and dandy Parenchyma, in an unknown man’s Persian blue sweater, stepping out of the family car ...