First Boyfriends and Flaming Lanterns
As soon as I drew my first heart, Drew said, “I’m gonna draw a Goomba.”
Tiffany Kajiwara graduated from Calvin in 2022 with majors in literature and writing. Now, she continues to live in Grand Rapids and works at Baker Academic Publishing as a marketing assistant. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting, thrifting, and psychoanalyzing cartoon characters.
Rating the bathrooms of Cuyahoga National Park
There might still be a piece of my tooth there.
On Being Young and Lonely
Her expression tightened as she said, “At least you had a couple friends in the city.”
Mary Kajiwara’s Hundredth Birthday
When everyone gathered around her and started singing “Happy Birthday” in a key far too high, she knew to blow out the candles.
First Queer Date
Mental calculations fly through my head, and I cannot imagine a scenario where you kiss me and don’t spill soup all over both of us.
A Cheapskate’s Sentimental Guide to Chicago
I’d walk along the lake and listen to the birds, thinking about how strange it was that a man-made peninsula became a spot of natural beauty amongst glass skyscrapers.
Three Swoon-Worthy Romances and Three that Should’ve Stayed Friends
I can’t believe that I’m unconvinced about a romance with People Magazine’s Sexist Man Alive Paul Rudd. It’s a waste, really.
It Gets Better
To my surprise, my first thought was, “Ha! Little does she know that gays walk among us.”
Fleas Almost Defeated Me
Idiots. They had stealth, but I had Google search.
In Celebration of Being a True Crime Wimp
I texted my friend with the encyclopedic podcast knowledge to ask why she liked true crime. Instead, she told me why she quit.
Sirius
Astronomy is thought of as the future or the cutting edge, but it studies slow processes and ancient objects.
A Love Letter to the Grand Rapids Swing Society
I laugh with them over Codenames and Fluxx, then ask if I can join them for swing dancing the next week.
Why I Wanted to Leave the Church, and Why I Stayed
I didn’t question if they still loved me; I questioned whether they thought I belonged in the house of God and if I would stay.
