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Christiana White
Christiana White

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How to Be Surprised

Stay open to the wonders of the world — According to George Saunders, a work of art “has to surprise its audience, which it can do only if it has legitimately surprised its creator.” When I read that, I realized I’m not creating art. Not by a long shot. I spend heaps of time bound up, worried, self-flagellating, fighting…

Magic

7 min read

How to Be Surprised
How to Be Surprised

Jun 8

Happy

How George Saunders calmed me down — I wrote a short story this afternoon, for a new writing group I’ve joined, and I think I like it. And that’s saying a lot. I don’t know if I’ve ever liked a short story I’ve written. Oh, there have been parts. A sentence, a description, a turn of phrase…

Writing

4 min read

Happy
Happy

Jun 1

Il Sorpasso and Beemster Cheese

On a late spring evening in Oakland, CA — I’m attacking this Beemster cheese with these water crackers that must be used before they go stale, alas. That is my excuse for continuing to deliver these morsels to my open mouth like an automaton. Can’t let the crackers go stale, can we now? It doesn’t hurt that this Il…

Cocktail

2 min read

Il Sorpasso and Beemster Cheese
Il Sorpasso and Beemster Cheese

May 31

My first gordita

Life in California: Birdsong, flea markets, melty cheese, and chile — My neighbor Claudia says that every spring, the blue jays and the mockingbirds duke it out. They can’t both occupy the same slice of neighborhood, so some summers we have blue jays and some, mockingbirds. …

Mexican Food

4 min read

My first gordita
My first gordita

Apr 14

Consuming vs. Producing

If you’re an artist, focus on the latter — I’ve been gorging myself on content. It’s easy to do. How many times have we heard we need to read if we want to be writers? Am I right? But, it’s also lazy. It’s certainly easier to read another book review or New Yorker short story than it is to…

Writing

4 min read

Consuming vs. Producing
Consuming vs. Producing

Apr 13

Mehmet’s presence

Victor left this earth on the last day of June last year. He was alone, or no, not alone. …

Death

3 min read

Mehmet’s presence
Mehmet’s presence

Mar 30

That sick smell

Chuck was late, which was okay. I was bracing myself as it was. I found a seat at the bar. Covid had eased, things were opening up. I was shoulder to shoulder with someone on my right. A young bearded bartender with a belly approached. I ordered a mezcal cocktail. …

Fiction

2 min read

That sick smell
That sick smell

Mar 30

Promises

Promises, promises. Is that the same as commitment? If so, this is a word that instills terror. It’s a word that hangs over one like Damocles Blade. This is because, hell, they are so hard to keep. I’m not talking about the little ones, like promising to join my neighbor…

Fiction

2 min read

Promises
Promises

Feb 10

Trash-Can Dream

The tragedy of René Robert and our appalling apathy — Yesterday, the New York Times reported the death of René Robert on the streets of Paris. This beloved photographer famous for sensitive portraits of Flamenco artists was found near-dead of hypothermia after lying for an entire night on a busy street in Paris, totally ignored by passerby who apparently wrote…

Compassion

5 min read

Trash-Can Dream
Trash-Can Dream

Jan 31

Cappuccino in a cup, with a spoon

Why is my coffee wet dream so hard to find in this country? — Hello. I have a gripe. It’s been gnawing at me for a while, and was intensified by my recent visit to Rome, Italy, where everywhere you order a cappuccino, it arrives in an attractive ceramic cup on a saucer, with a spoon alongside. The gripe, first and foremost, is as…

Food

5 min read

Cappuccino in a cup, with a spoon
Cappuccino in a cup, with a spoon
Christiana White

Christiana White

Writer | Reader | Mother | Cook | Support my writing here ➜ https://christianawhite.medium.com/membership

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