Several months ago, Christina and her husband got into a fight, and he stopped paying for her living. Although…
Phillip
From the back cover of his book of poetry, Captured Emotions: Phillip S. Joyner was born in Baltimore, Maryland,…
JP
His left arm is a bony stump. It twists up and down, shiny tip wiggling out his shirt…
Charles
Charles is mid-height and scrawny, skin coal-black. His face is irreverently gleeful, his voice pitched with mirth and sarcasm.…
‘Andy’
‘Andy’ is a large man, with chestnut-brown skin, wrapped in too-thick layers of clothes. Stringy black hair is cramped…
The Death of Nawin
Last Saturday, May 20, a man was “discovered unresponsive around 4:30 p.m. at the Texaco gas station” in San…
‘Sadie’
‘Sadie’ is Vietnamese, short and thickly built. Her cropped black hair frames a round face, finely wrinkled. Crisp streaks of…
Choosing Power
On homelessness and power—drawing from/reflecting on my work on ASH. *** It’s August 2016 and we’re arguing…
‘Rico’
N.B. – This piece meshes story with reflection. ‘Rico’ is tall and thin, lanky and swaggering. Short black hairs curl…
‘Dylan’
‘Dylan’s birth was a sort of miracle. His mother had been infertile: she met his father, a Puerto…
‘Manuel’
‘Manuel’ straddles his rusty bike, standing firmly so his solid build hovers over the seat. His ropy hands grip…
‘Grant’
His eyes are obscured by thick, red reflective sunglasses that hook behind large ears. A maroon knit beanie covers…
‘Anthony’
‘Anthony’ is a tall brown-skinned man, exuding friendliness from his joints. An arm swept cinematically aside. Long legs crooked…
Interview: Mitchell Gibbs, ARCH Executive Director
I recently had the opportunity to interview Mr. Mitchell Gibbs, Executive Director at the Austin Resource Center for…
‘Philip’
His face gives the impression of a stretchy-skinned pumpkin. Dark brown curls are gathered into a short ponytail at the…
‘Ken’
The first thing he learned was how to cook. “I baked cakes and pies,” he said, since he…
‘Mitchell’
The starkest difference between Detroit and Austin is the weather, ‘Mitchell’ said. Austin rarely sees snow. But as…
Ramero
Ramero: Writer/Rapper. “I’m a writer. I’m writing some rap songs right now, for myself. I’m laying them…
‘Anna’
N.B: This post is both story and reflection integrated, because they’re especially essential to each other in this particular case.…
‘Deborah’
‘Deborah’ is a large, elderly woman with speckled-pale skin. Her short, boyish brown curls sparsely cover her scalp, topping…
Joe
Joe was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. He has five or six brothers and five or six…
‘Dana’
N.B: This story includes the context of the conversation and my reflections on it. ‘Dana’ is light-skinned, baggy in dust-choked…
Alex
Alex was born in Chicago in 1966, but almost immediately was given up for adoption and moved to Austin…
Michael
Michael was born in Austin to a relatively well-to-do family. But his parents separated when he was young.…
Nawin
Nawin is probably in his forties. He’s lanky, in sagging jeans and a dark blue sweater, sparse dark hair cramped…
Loco
His pasty skin sags on his long cheekbones. Deep wrinkles stream pell-mell in his pink-burnt forehead, brown-splotched cheeks—cradling the…
‘Al’
“I’ve been shot four times and died twice.” ‘Al’ grew up in the Austin gang life. He was…