Traditionally, a story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. They’re written, or told, like a journey, starting at point A, concluding at point B, with a compelling problem to be solved along the way. Something to be resolved, a lesson to be learned, a timeless takeaway for those…

I’ve been trying to figure it out, for far too long now. I’ve been trying to wrap my head around the things that seem to be driving me crazy. How can some people think that what they’re doing is ok, and yet how can we all feel that way about…

Hi there. I’m present Layah. Or for the sake of this conversation, I’m future Layah. Because I recently read back my last Medium post, and I’ll be honest, Layah from the past was not so ok. When I told everyone not to think of me, it came from a deep…

The other day, I woke up to a text from an elementary school classmate I hadn't spoken to in 15 years. We went to different high schools and live in different states. Our paths rarely cross and haven't for a very, very long time. And yet there she was, in…

Because I don’t know how else to thank you. A couple of months ago I sat cross-legged on my bed and wrote a letter to my friends called “Greetings from the end of the world”, about what it felt like to be going through the beginning of a pandemic. I…

I have to say, it’s a lot cozier than I expected. And, despite the lack of toilet paper at Target, it’s a lot calmer too. It’s the end of the world. That’s what the media says. They keep telling us numbers and using words meant to scare us. …

It was summer 2017 and my cousin and I were hiding out from the oppressive New York City heat in the air-conditioned lounge of the newly opened One Brooklyn Bridge Hotel. The place was brand new; a mostly undiscovered hidden gem at the edge of Brooklyn Bridge park. The lounge…

Right where it started. Over the past month and half there were at least five times that I sat down thinking I knew how this story would end. Each time, something held me back from being able to put the words on paper. It just wasn’t the end quite yet…

Sometimes the only way I can know how I feel is to write it. I’ve always been a verbal processor. I call it thinking on the outside of my head. Words and I have a deep, powerful connection. Being able to name a thought or a feeling or an idea…