#DearMe | International Women's Day

Dear Me,

Sweet, beautiful, 13-year-old Leeann. You are so smart, and so clever. You have a big heart for a teenager, and that's why those girls pick on you. They don't understand what it means to have empathy, or to defy peer pressure and be who you want to me.

I know it doesn't feel like it now, but you will be so strong because of them, because of this swirling mist of doom they call junior high. You will never let people tell you how to feel or who to be again, because it doesn't make you happy. And walking around miserable all the time isn't doing you any good. You have so much potential, so much talent. Mom and Dad see it. I see it.

Life is not junior high, thank goodness. And although you'll love it, life is not high school either. Or college. Life is what you decide it will be. Right now, life is words. It's writing them, reading them, shaping them into something completely new. Life is taking control over what you say and what you do, and most importantly how you feel.

Don't let the bad stuff become you. Do not become the bad stuff. Soak in the good, let it enter your soul like an endless stream, flowing into your mind until you can't remember why you were upset or what discouraged you. Surround yourself with people who make you feel special. Walk away from the people who don't. Taste the content on your tongue, sing it out to the world, for that is what life is. A song to be sung, and only you can sing it.

As Walt Whitman wrote:

The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?

                                    Answer. That you are here—that life exists and identity, That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.

In that powerful play we call life, what will our verse be? In that powerful play we call our life, what will your verse be?

For each thought we have and action we do (or don't) take shapes us into who we are. Every word we say slides into a slot of the bookshelves of our lives and becomes our verse in the world.

"Life exists, and identity." It's the power we gain from our life, our identity, that can change us.

That can change you.

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The Bookish Side of Valentine's

Full disclaimer: I don't get Valentine's Day. I don't see the reason for a day devoted to expressing your love for someone/some people, when you should be doing that every day. Yet I have a tradition with my family where we have a Valentine's dinner every year, and even when I'm at college we find a way to make it work. I love sitting down at a fancy meal with my parents and sister, with candles and candy as our centerpiece, and switching up our daily dinners. Valentine's Day doesn't have to be about romantic love; it can by family and friend love too.

To support expressing that kind of love, I've complied a list of books I feel do a good job of celebrating family and friend bonds. Good Valentine's reads that explore friendship and family, and leave you feeling good!

A Bookish Valentine's | Different kinds of books to read on Valentine's Day

• The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. An unexpected love story about a dog's devotion to his owner that explores the connection humans feel to their pets from a fresh perspective. It will get you thinking about how we relate to animals and just what we mean to them.

• "Tenth of December" in Tenth of December by George Saunders. This short story creates unlikely friends, but demonstrates how love can come suddenly to even strangers, and lead us to do the most powerful things. (While you're at it, read the whole collection of weird but awesome short stories.)

• Little Women by Lousia May Alcott. If you feel like digging into a longer story, reach for this classic about the love of four sisters for each other, their mother, and their father. Sure, some significant others show up, but they never seem to compare to the connections this family feels for each other.

• Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. This book almost makes me like Steinbeck (if you've ever read The Red Pony, you'll understand my dislike). Another classic that explores just how far friendships will stretch us, it approaches an impossible situation about love and makes us resolve it.

• Holes by Louis Sachar. It seems like it's just a book about a boy who wrongfully is sent to prison camp because of a family curse, but the family ties are a continuous theme throughout this book. Without his supportive parents, Stanley could have been in a way worse situation. Even though the Yelnats are constantly thrown into unsavory situations, they stay together and love each other, no matter what.

What are your favorite books to read on Valentine's Day?

In Review: January 2015

January gave 2015 a great start. I had a wonderful internship, got an extra month at home, and managed to catch up on sleep and regain my sanity before heading back to school. This year, I want to focus more on what I loved about each month. So I thought a quick post after each month would be a fun way to look back and remember the good things 2015 brings, one month at a time.

Let's begin!

Favorite Book

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Favorite Post

Since I only wrote three, this is fairly easy. I'll have to go with my review of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore; I really liked that book and loved how the review turned out.

Favorite Photos

What are your January highlights?

What I'm Reading Spring Semester 2015

Welcome to the semi-annual school book list extravaganza! Okay, so it's not that exciting. But I'm proud to say that this semester I have the extremely reasonable number of 11 books for the next three and a half months. MUCH better than 31. It helps that I only have three courses this semester (I'm trying to make my blog like a fourth class, but so far I'm rather failing at that...) and that only one is an English class.

Liberal arts for the win my friend.

So, let's get started:

New Testament

This was a last-minute addition to my class schedule after Modern Latin American almost put me to sleep...on the first day. Having made the mistake of staying in a class I hated last semester, I escaped immediately. Sadly, I couldn't pick up another history class, but I'll make up for it next year.

BUT ANYWAY. New Testament books:

• New Oxford Annotated Bible: NRSV. Because it wouldn't be a Christianity class without it.
• Parallel Gospels: A Synopsis of Early Christian Writing, by Zeba Crook. So how similar are the gospels after all?
• A Brief Introduction to the New Testament, by Bart D. Ehrman. Just your classic 100-level textbook.

Gender Across Cultures

I return to the anthropology world to learn about gender, one of my favorite subjects (if you get the chance, PLEASE take a women's studies class. It's such an important learning experience). Since this class discusses all types of gender, I look forward to learning more about societal influences on people's everyday lives.

• Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective, by Caroline B. Brettel and Carolyn F. Sargent. Just the one textbook...what is this department??

Playwriting

I branch out of my writing comfort-zone into playwriting, where apparently acting is required. I'm nervous, but I think it will be good for me to put myself out there and do more public speaking. Since this is an English class, the book list is more extensive than the others:

• The Clean House & Other Plays, by Sarah Ruhl. I read this for a class two years ago (I'm SO OLD) and really enjoyed it. I'm sure I'll enjoy it again!
• Topdog/Underdog, by Suzan-Lori Parks. Apparently it's quite a big deal--lots of people in the class have read it before.
• 4000 Miles, by Amy Herzog. But I would walk 4000 miles, and I would walk 4000 more...
• Water by the Spoonful, by Quiara Alegria Hudes. A play that introduces the Internet to the real world. Say no more--I'm intrigued.
• An Almost Holy Picture, by Heather McDonald. One-man show with lots to say.
• The Pillowman, by Martin McDonagh. Judging from the back of the book, this does not include a pillow fight.
• Take Ten II: More Ten-Minute Plays, edited by Eric Lane and Nina Shengold. To inspire me to write my future ten-minute play.

I think all the plays sound interesting; I don't know much about them yet but since Topdog/Underdog comes recommended, I think I'll put it at the top of my list. Which book sounds the most exciting to you?

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Below the Line:

• Recruitment starts today. You know what that means...sleepless nights and lots of food. And that's just for the sorority women.
• Since this week has been so Greek focused, it's hard to believe I'm back in the school groove. I have to admit, I miss my internship. I loved the work I was doing, plus coming home and not having to worry about anything was a good life!