Human PartsDec 30, 201512 min read
A Parting Gift: Some of Our Favorite Stories
Here are some stories we love from the past 2.5 years — stories we still go back to, and ones that still make us laugh and think and (yes) sometimes cry. Obviously, after over two thousand posts, we may have missed some. (If we did, please forgive us, and leave a response at the bottom with what we’ve overlooked.) But we hope you enjoy these as much as we have. Thank you thank you thank you to everyone who contributed their words to Human Parts, and to all of you for reading and sharing this ride with us. ❤
2013
Afterthought - Human Parts
Let's begin with the single representation of life that has ever made any sense. As a young teenager, I traveled with…human.parts
Let's begin with the single representation of life that has ever made any sense. As a young teenager, I traveled with…human.parts
Studies in Transit - Human Parts
Neighborhood, mid-June, age 23 Map of the neighborhood in bodegas looks like a Scantron. I walk past them and green…human.parts
Neighborhood, mid-June, age 23 Map of the neighborhood in bodegas looks like a Scantron. I walk past them and green…human.parts
The Pathetic Resuscitation of Us - Human Parts
Redemption is glorious, and it isn't nearly enough. It saves only one person at a time, and the world is full of people…human.parts
Redemption is glorious, and it isn't nearly enough. It saves only one person at a time, and the world is full of people…human.parts
Psych Ward 101 - Human Parts
The Belle of the Jar The hospital's main corridor, long and flush with activity, appropriately resembles an artery. The…human.parts
The Belle of the Jar The hospital's main corridor, long and flush with activity, appropriately resembles an artery. The…human.parts
Assembling a Nerf-Strike Elite Mega Centurion Blaster on My Day Off - Human Parts
I do not have to work today and I do not have plans until much, much later. It is early July and my Harlem apartment is…human.parts
I do not have to work today and I do not have plans until much, much later. It is early July and my Harlem apartment is…human.parts
Aspirational Fanfiction About Clothing I Can Not Afford
(I am not ashamed of my shallow tendencies)medium.com
(I am not ashamed of my shallow tendencies)medium.com
Blogging Ourselves to Live - Human Parts
Occasionally I become consumed by the idea that I can somehow find - somehow restore - all the droppings I've left on…human.parts
Occasionally I become consumed by the idea that I can somehow find - somehow restore - all the droppings I've left on…human.parts
What Should a Person Believe? - Human Parts
Free and empty are just two sides of the same tarnished coin, that's what they taught me in Sunday school. The godless…human.parts
Free and empty are just two sides of the same tarnished coin, that's what they taught me in Sunday school. The godless…human.parts
83 Ways to Begin a Vibrator Essay
I turned twenty and bought myself a six-toed cat, a five hundred dollar pair of boots, and a sleek black vibrator.medium.com
I turned twenty and bought myself a six-toed cat, a five hundred dollar pair of boots, and a sleek black vibrator.medium.com
While Your Wife Is at a Memorial Service
She’ll be gone a good hour, perhaps two. You’re happy, of course, to watch the kids while she pays respects.medium.com
She’ll be gone a good hour, perhaps two. You’re happy, of course, to watch the kids while she pays respects.medium.com
BB Guns, Gangs, and Other Teenage Rites of Passage
Carl’s parents were divorced before we started first grade.medium.com
Carl’s parents were divorced before we started first grade.medium.com
We Will Never Know What’s Inside Our Bodies
I feel like my body is an inside joke and I’m on the outsidemedium.com
I feel like my body is an inside joke and I’m on the outsidemedium.com
How to Build a Brick Wall
There are four different shades of brick that I can see from the second-story window as I sit on your bed.medium.com
There are four different shades of brick that I can see from the second-story window as I sit on your bed.medium.com
The Difference Between Co-dependency and Love - Human Parts
Strands of Night and Fire 1 We return, pigeons and salmon, to the places we abandoned and to the places where we were…human.parts
Strands of Night and Fire 1 We return, pigeons and salmon, to the places we abandoned and to the places where we were…human.parts
Branch Libraries of Southeastern Brooklyn - Human Parts
How the Brooklyn Public Library made me a man Rugby I was three when Dad held my hand as we walked into this branch, a…human.parts
How the Brooklyn Public Library made me a man Rugby I was three when Dad held my hand as we walked into this branch, a…human.parts
Redlands and the Big Blue Sky - Human Parts
Reclaiming California San Bernardino County is sort of the Twilight Zone of Southern California. It feels much more…human.parts
Reclaiming California San Bernardino County is sort of the Twilight Zone of Southern California. It feels much more…human.parts
A Year - Human Parts
Green suitcases and hot pink nails and one ticket, one way. ¶ Cold toes and fingers and watering eyes. ¶ Walks on stre…human.parts
Green suitcases and hot pink nails and one ticket, one way. ¶ Cold toes and fingers and watering eyes. ¶ Walks on stre…human.parts
Coming Out as Biracial
A few months ago, I not-so-subtly asserted myself as biracial while having dinner with a new coworker.medium.com
A few months ago, I not-so-subtly asserted myself as biracial while having dinner with a new coworker.medium.com
You Are Good At Floating - Human Parts
Writing with My Special Needs Child Now we have to make new letters, even though I really wish my son would cool down a…human.parts
Writing with My Special Needs Child Now we have to make new letters, even though I really wish my son would cool down a…human.parts
We Were Just Kids - Human Parts
The skinny ones, the ones your parents warned you about. Held together with water and soda crackers. Our cheeks filthy…human.parts
The skinny ones, the ones your parents warned you about. Held together with water and soda crackers. Our cheeks filthy…human.parts
Plants Growing on Rooftops - Human Parts
But how could you convince somebody to do less of what they were doing? There were flower pots lining up alongside his…human.parts
But how could you convince somebody to do less of what they were doing? There were flower pots lining up alongside his…human.parts
How to Fall In (and Out) of Love - Human Parts
A wise internet quote once said, "The right person at the wrong time is still the wrong person." But you'll meet her at…human.parts
A wise internet quote once said, "The right person at the wrong time is still the wrong person." But you'll meet her at…human.parts
look/see - Human Parts
i've been dancing in a piece that i've come to resent. when i move, my heart is so, so tired. there's no feeling…human.parts
i've been dancing in a piece that i've come to resent. when i move, my heart is so, so tired. there's no feeling…human.parts
Sexiled - Human Parts
"Cocktease!" The word emerged effortlessly from my eighty-one year-old grandfather's mouth, despite his thick Polish…human.parts
"Cocktease!" The word emerged effortlessly from my eighty-one year-old grandfather's mouth, despite his thick Polish…human.parts
Between the River and the Sea - Human Parts
I'm just going to sit here if you don't mind. I'm just going to sit on the bottom of a cool, dark pool - or really, any…human.parts
I'm just going to sit here if you don't mind. I'm just going to sit on the bottom of a cool, dark pool - or really, any…human.parts
This Is A Story - Human Parts
This story spans almost two years. It might span longer. When I tell this story, I start it like this. My first memory…human.parts
This story spans almost two years. It might span longer. When I tell this story, I start it like this. My first memory…human.parts
2014
The Gay and Straight Boys' Guide to Living - Human Parts
Two young men, one straight and one gay, sharing a series of apartments in a faraway city for an inordinate number of…human.parts
Two young men, one straight and one gay, sharing a series of apartments in a faraway city for an inordinate number of…human.parts
The Teenage Suicide That Could’ve Been
I was fifteen when I tried to take my own life. ¶
It was the Ides of March, the day sixty co-conspirators famously…medium.com
I was fifteen when I tried to take my own life. ¶
It was the Ides of March, the day sixty co-conspirators famously…medium.com
The Minotaur - Human Parts
On the cruelty of childhood memory and trauma The Spanish word for "bother" is molestar. For modern English speakers…human.parts
On the cruelty of childhood memory and trauma The Spanish word for "bother" is molestar. For modern English speakers…human.parts
Fifteen Beginnings of an Essay I Will Never Write
1. ¶
My mom used to take me to her psychiatrist appointments.medium.com
1. ¶
My mom used to take me to her psychiatrist appointments.medium.com
Green Truck Love - Human Parts
The green truck love was different from the frozen love was different from the pre-prom love was different from the…human.parts
The green truck love was different from the frozen love was different from the pre-prom love was different from the…human.parts
The Corpse of Wall Street - Human Parts
The first time I caught him swallowing a fistful of pills, he convinced me that they were vitamins. And why wouldn't I…human.parts
The first time I caught him swallowing a fistful of pills, he convinced me that they were vitamins. And why wouldn't I…human.parts
Am I Black? - Human Parts
There's a question that's been keeping me up at night that burns and numbs me all at once. "Am I black?" It's not a…human.parts
There's a question that's been keeping me up at night that burns and numbs me all at once. "Am I black?" It's not a…human.parts
A Cold Logic - Human Parts
I know the part you want to hear and I'll get to it, I promise - but if it's okay with you, I'll start a while before…human.parts
I know the part you want to hear and I'll get to it, I promise - but if it's okay with you, I'll start a while before…human.parts
These are the Ways We Touch Each Other - Human Parts
While eating takeout on your bedroom floor because you do not have a table. II. Also: when I terror-wake sweaty in the…human.parts
While eating takeout on your bedroom floor because you do not have a table. II. Also: when I terror-wake sweaty in the…human.parts
Thin as Thieves: My Mother, Her Bulimia, and Me - Human Parts
My mother had suffered from anorexia nervosa since she was a teenager. Without going into too much detail, in order to…human.parts
My mother had suffered from anorexia nervosa since she was a teenager. Without going into too much detail, in order to…human.parts
What Changed After You Were Raped at Gunpoint - Human Parts
Things That Changed After You Were Raped at Gunpoint on my Birthdayhuman.parts
Things That Changed After You Were Raped at Gunpoint on my Birthdayhuman.parts
Things That Won’t Save You
Jesus, your 401k, art, Apple products, omega 3 fatty acids, drone strikes, cashing out your 401k, moving to Brooklyn…medium.com
Jesus, your 401k, art, Apple products, omega 3 fatty acids, drone strikes, cashing out your 401k, moving to Brooklyn…medium.com
Rose Period - Human Parts
The word "ugly" is a complicated word. There are no gross anomalies or dissymmetries on my face. It's plain and simple…human.parts
The word "ugly" is a complicated word. There are no gross anomalies or dissymmetries on my face. It's plain and simple…human.parts
Breakup Texts - Human Parts
He tells me that I don't know what I mean, or mean what I say, or say anything that's real. That truth is malleable for…human.parts
He tells me that I don't know what I mean, or mean what I say, or say anything that's real. That truth is malleable for…human.parts
The Sad Cycle
Me: im having dinner with karly and we’re just talking about all the times we’ve cried today lmao ¶
Rachel: ha , haha…medium.com
Me: im having dinner with karly and we’re just talking about all the times we’ve cried today lmao ¶
Rachel: ha , haha…medium.com
A Piece Of Writing That Won Me $200 In Eighth Grade
They say there’s muscle buried under the fat, that not all of my 200, 185, 169, 145 pounds is lard hidden beneath XXL…medium.com
They say there’s muscle buried under the fat, that not all of my 200, 185, 169, 145 pounds is lard hidden beneath XXL…medium.com
The Stages of Missing Someone You Barely Know
You first meet at a costume party, and notice him mostly because he is the only other person not wearing a costume.medium.com
You first meet at a costume party, and notice him mostly because he is the only other person not wearing a costume.medium.com
Heart Trouble Will Find Me
You rest your head on my chest until I feel the heart attack coming.medium.com
You rest your head on my chest until I feel the heart attack coming.medium.com
The Man My Dad Was Supposed to Be
Sometimes, it feels impossible to see through the indignities of his Parkinson’s Disease. But only sometimes.medium.com
Sometimes, it feels impossible to see through the indignities of his Parkinson’s Disease. But only sometimes.medium.com
Six-Word Stories From Rehab
Ernest Hemingway’s poignant six-word story launched a genre that’s popular with writing teachers.medium.com
Ernest Hemingway’s poignant six-word story launched a genre that’s popular with writing teachers.medium.com
We All Laughed
The first things to go were the libraries. Doors were kicked down and the librarians were hanged.medium.com
The first things to go were the libraries. Doors were kicked down and the librarians were hanged.medium.com
My Cousin is Not a Hero
Halfway through the worst year of my life, my cousin Ben asks me if he should write a book.medium.com
Halfway through the worst year of my life, my cousin Ben asks me if he should write a book.medium.com
Behind the Till
I used the public bathroom instead of the employee bathroom and I never wore my red lanyard because I didn’t want…medium.com
I used the public bathroom instead of the employee bathroom and I never wore my red lanyard because I didn’t want…medium.com
Everyone Knows This is Nowhere
It works like a bathtub drain on the edge of town. Commerce swirls around it during working hours.medium.com
It works like a bathtub drain on the edge of town. Commerce swirls around it during working hours.medium.com
Stigmata by Proxy
I was eight or maybe nine when my parents took my sister and I to see Agnes of God at the drive-in theater, us two in…medium.com
I was eight or maybe nine when my parents took my sister and I to see Agnes of God at the drive-in theater, us two in…medium.com
If You Ever Come to Western Nebraska
Come in late summer, early fall. Come when the cornfields stand up straight and tall — holding ears full of two seasons…medium.com
Come in late summer, early fall. Come when the cornfields stand up straight and tall — holding ears full of two seasons…medium.com
How To Handle A Crush
Calm your fucking jorts. This is normal. You are a warm-blooded land mammal, and you are alive and ripping apart…medium.com
Calm your fucking jorts. This is normal. You are a warm-blooded land mammal, and you are alive and ripping apart…medium.com
I Ate The World Once But It Was Too Big So I Had To Cut It Into Thin, Neat Slices
I sit cross-legged on the sidewalk waiting for the bus.medium.com
I sit cross-legged on the sidewalk waiting for the bus.medium.com
The Ocean Doesn’t Have An Opinion
Our apartment had ants. Food-covered dishes left in the sink overnight would be swarmed black in the morning. We were…medium.com
Our apartment had ants. Food-covered dishes left in the sink overnight would be swarmed black in the morning. We were…medium.com
The Whore Box
I tripped over the Whore Box. Looking down and seeing it there, at my feet, was quite a shock.medium.com
I tripped over the Whore Box. Looking down and seeing it there, at my feet, was quite a shock.medium.com
Sweet Sixteen - Human Parts
I stepped through the front door of my grandmother's mobile home and the stale piss smell of it engulfed me like a…human.parts
I stepped through the front door of my grandmother's mobile home and the stale piss smell of it engulfed me like a…human.parts
Steak and Scotch
I was twenty-two and irreverent. I was working as a store manager for a jewelry designer in the West Village.medium.com
I was twenty-two and irreverent. I was working as a store manager for a jewelry designer in the West Village.medium.com
Growing Up Is Fun
Two weeks before I moved from New York to LA, I lost all feeling in my face. It happened in a snap, crackle, pop. I was…medium.com
Two weeks before I moved from New York to LA, I lost all feeling in my face. It happened in a snap, crackle, pop. I was…medium.com
Soft in the Middle
My belly has always been round and soft, except maybe when I was a little kid. Then it seemed tight like a drum, except…medium.com
My belly has always been round and soft, except maybe when I was a little kid. Then it seemed tight like a drum, except…medium.com
Melissa May Have Punched Me in the Face, but I Took Her Shoe
I am 11 years old and I hate myself.medium.com
I am 11 years old and I hate myself.medium.com
Tell Me A Story, He Says
We’re sitting on the back porch of a hookah lounge when Jack looks up at me, hookah tip in one hand and cigarette in…medium.com
We’re sitting on the back porch of a hookah lounge when Jack looks up at me, hookah tip in one hand and cigarette in…medium.com
The Night Never Belonged To Us
She laughs about it now, saying, “I guess his plan kind of backfired when I started puking all over his bed.”medium.com
She laughs about it now, saying, “I guess his plan kind of backfired when I started puking all over his bed.”medium.com
A Juggalo And A Jesus Freak
I’d been told to expect “the end” by others, but the versions of paradise that were supposed to come after the varying…medium.com
I’d been told to expect “the end” by others, but the versions of paradise that were supposed to come after the varying…medium.com
On New York City
I enter conversations with strangers; I assume other’s spaces; I am straight and I am circular.medium.com
I enter conversations with strangers; I assume other’s spaces; I am straight and I am circular.medium.com
safe spaces - Human Parts
It is Sunday and I'm on a train, leaving home for home. The colossus propels itself along the tracks, northbound, and I…human.parts
It is Sunday and I'm on a train, leaving home for home. The colossus propels itself along the tracks, northbound, and I…human.parts
Office Landscape - Human Parts
In 2001, Microsoft introduced "Bliss," the default wallpaper for Windows XP, a 1996 photo by Charles O'Rear, who…human.parts
In 2001, Microsoft introduced "Bliss," the default wallpaper for Windows XP, a 1996 photo by Charles O'Rear, who…human.parts
2015
Writing Is the Great Why and the Why Not and Also Whatever - Human Parts
Writing is drifting alone in a small boat on a dark endless body of water with only the sound of a hushed brain which…human.parts
Writing is drifting alone in a small boat on a dark endless body of water with only the sound of a hushed brain which…human.parts
Daughter of the Universe - Human Parts
I don't know if there were other kids. So far no one I've asked has confirmed. I'll probably never be sure if on…human.parts
I don't know if there were other kids. So far no one I've asked has confirmed. I'll probably never be sure if on…human.parts
Hello to All That - Human Parts
It was early August and it had begun to grow dark as I stood on the elevated platform of Avenue U, set in what some…human.parts
It was early August and it had begun to grow dark as I stood on the elevated platform of Avenue U, set in what some…human.parts
How to Break Up in Iambic Pentameter: A Beginner's Guide - Human Parts
Fact: breaking up with someone sucks. There's no way around it. Once you've decided to end things with your significant…human.parts
Fact: breaking up with someone sucks. There's no way around it. Once you've decided to end things with your significant…human.parts
I Know You Love Me - Human Parts
When my girlfriend said she loved me, it always sounded like something she wished she could take back. An escaped…human.parts
When my girlfriend said she loved me, it always sounded like something she wished she could take back. An escaped…human.parts
Sorry - Human Parts
We are women and we would like to apologize. We are sorry for how tall our hair, how big our bodies. We are sorry the…human.parts
We are women and we would like to apologize. We are sorry for how tall our hair, how big our bodies. We are sorry the…human.parts
Secondary Sins - Human Parts
Marie's parents were very permissive. Besides spending the night at their house, in Marie's room, and joining them on…human.parts
Marie's parents were very permissive. Besides spending the night at their house, in Marie's room, and joining them on…human.parts
Stay, and Other Things You Should Say - Human Parts
Do you ever feel scared? Scared for the future, but not in the way that you won't figure things out - like that you'll…human.parts
Do you ever feel scared? Scared for the future, but not in the way that you won't figure things out - like that you'll…human.parts
Fruits Anonymous Session - Human Parts
The following is a transcription of an audio recording from July 21's Fruits Anonymous Session. The session facilitator…human.parts
The following is a transcription of an audio recording from July 21's Fruits Anonymous Session. The session facilitator…human.parts
When We Were Lost - Human Parts
I was almost three when my parents started traveling. By the time I turned five, we had overstayed the length-of-stay…human.parts
I was almost three when my parents started traveling. By the time I turned five, we had overstayed the length-of-stay…human.parts
The Biography of a Room
A bedroom contains a personal history that is every bit as important, and perhaps less mundane, as that of a nation.medium.com
A bedroom contains a personal history that is every bit as important, and perhaps less mundane, as that of a nation.medium.com
When Do You Stop Wondering If You Did The Right Thing?
There are some people you remember seeing for the first time. She was one of those people.medium.com
There are some people you remember seeing for the first time. She was one of those people.medium.com
All This Useless Beauty
I was having lunch with my friend Catherine, telling her how I couldn’t write anymore since my divorce.medium.com
I was having lunch with my friend Catherine, telling her how I couldn’t write anymore since my divorce.medium.com
Adventures in Vanity
I was seventeen and being driven to Limerick to be crowned The Young Poet of the Year (capitals and imagined crown my…medium.com
I was seventeen and being driven to Limerick to be crowned The Young Poet of the Year (capitals and imagined crown my…medium.com
A Short History by Number
695.4 is the Dewey Decimal Classification for Roof coverings, Metal.medium.com
695.4 is the Dewey Decimal Classification for Roof coverings, Metal.medium.com
New Growth: What My Sister Taught Me About Hair, Courage and Growing Up
I knew what was supposed to happen that day. I woke up with it on my mind. My way of preparing was to take my umbrella…medium.com
I knew what was supposed to happen that day. I woke up with it on my mind. My way of preparing was to take my umbrella…medium.com
Beethoven, That Bass, And Black Culture
In 18th Century Europe, one of the greatest classical composers performs as both a deaf and black man. He forever…medium.com
In 18th Century Europe, one of the greatest classical composers performs as both a deaf and black man. He forever…medium.com
Not Otherwise Specified
My mother told me that when I was born, the first thing I did was vomit blood.medium.com
My mother told me that when I was born, the first thing I did was vomit blood.medium.com
Checking Out of The Wonderland Motel
On quitting the world of pop culture blogging & why it felt so good to go corporate.medium.com
On quitting the world of pop culture blogging & why it felt so good to go corporate.medium.com
Notes on Twinning
Twins are two offspring produced by one pregnancy. Other definitions I’ve read: “siblings resultant from a multiple…medium.com
Twins are two offspring produced by one pregnancy. Other definitions I’ve read: “siblings resultant from a multiple…medium.com
Summer of Defiance
I am on a bed in the back of a Bulgarian trucker’s truck. He picked us up at a gas station near Linz, Austria and is…medium.com
I am on a bed in the back of a Bulgarian trucker’s truck. He picked us up at a gas station near Linz, Austria and is…medium.com
An Audience of One
We’re on the second drink at the night’s second bar, a jazz club on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.medium.com
We’re on the second drink at the night’s second bar, a jazz club on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.medium.com
California Burning
In California, something is always burning. During the autumn of Y2K, scheduled electricity blackouts rolled through my…medium.com
In California, something is always burning. During the autumn of Y2K, scheduled electricity blackouts rolled through my…medium.com
