First Person Archives

first person

Wicked Florida Dreams: Queer Defenses From Within a Red Swamp

Over and over again, we practice evasion. Ducking. Blocking. Parrying. Weaving. Running.

Gina Paris Ellis Marks

Dec 9, 2025

A trail cuts through the Mojave Desert at sunrise. A Joshua Tree is visible on the left and desert shrubs are visible on either side.

first person

Fault Lines

She was in the middle of a long divorce, and I had pulverized myself to fit into the life of a secret girlfriend.

Alayna Becker

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Mar 7, 2022

A ballerina in a wide white tutu on pointe

first person

Every Young Queer Crush I Had As A Baby Ballerina

There is, apparently, a ballet child to queer adult pipeline, and I want to come out as a person of queer ballet experience.

Analyssa

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Feb 25, 2022

Two drawn bodies curled next to each other against a black background

first person

My Jackie: On Yellowjackets and a Missing Friend

We met when I was 16 and she was 17. We weren’t dating, but we might as well have been. I’ve been thinking about her more than usual lately, ever…

Riddhi

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Feb 25, 2022

A sketched white outline of a person has their hands on their chest, and a light glows where their heart should be.

first person

Grief Exists in Its Own Time Zone

There’s a reason people say things like “grief isn’t linear,” and “you won’t feel this way forever,” and there’s also a reason it feels like you’re hearing those things through…

Rosemary Donahue

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Feb 24, 2022

Two drawn people in black ink tilt toward each other with sketched flowers in the background

first person

We Call It Time Travel

To love someone new is to agree to travel somewhere that doesn’t exist yet together.

Vanessa

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Feb 23, 2022

A white sketched outline of a person hovers over a curved line. On the other side of the curved line is a drawn figure in black ink.

first person

To Travel, Like Light

So much of my experience of poetry is wrapped up in time.

danijanae

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Feb 22, 2022

A white sketched outline of two people are crouched over a soup pot. One is feeding the other.

first person

Closing the Distance With a Dash of Salt and Cumin

In the middle of a pandemic, 8,000 miles away from Dhaka, Bangladesh, I craved my favorite dish in the world: beef bhuna, a curry made of tender meat and rich,…

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Feb 21, 2022

Outlines of two human figures float in space with squiggle lines between them

first person

Time Between Us

My partner and I started our relationship at a distance. C was on Eastern Time. I was on Mountain Time.

Diana Clarke

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Feb 20, 2022

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First Person

first person

Wicked Florida Dreams: Queer Defenses From Within a Red Swamp

Fault Lines

Every Young Queer Crush I Had As A Baby Ballerina

My Jackie: On Yellowjackets and a Missing Friend

Grief Exists in Its Own Time Zone

We Call It Time Travel

To Travel, Like Light

Closing the Distance With a Dash of Salt and Cumin

Time Between Us

Become a Member

What You Get:

Become a Member

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First Person

first person

Wicked Florida Dreams: Queer Defenses From Within a Red Swamp

Become a Member

What You Get:

Become a Member

Account