When I first met Susan Shapiro, I was desperate. I had been kicked out of my parent’s house and spent two years drunk and high, scribbling mangled poetry in a railroad apartment in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Then, my dad’s father died in the Midwest and his funeral and family trip—with Dad, […]

Today, Natalia Sylvester shares with us the  nuggets of wisdom that keeps her going. She talks of enjoying the comforts of childhood, the importance of reading, and taking small steps to make big ones. Where did she learn all this? She’s got a super star mom, who not only saved […]

Liesl has been a champion of PenTales (and our belief that stories are a powerful way to connect people from all walks of life) from the very start – back in the days of ‘yore when we first handed out notebooks to creative friends and asked them to write two […]

Meet Paul Lisicky. We were so excited to have this writer share his nuggets of wisdom with us. We’re planning on following his advice (and we think you should too). Paul’s recommendations are straightforward: 1. appreciate the process; 2. let curiosity and dedication guide you; and 3. allow your hurts to heal you. What we […]

Royal Young. What a cool name. By extension what cool (and ambitious) parents to give him that name. No wonder this creative Lower East Sider, writer at Interview Magazine and The Lo Down, picked up a thing or two from mom and dad: the Oedipus Complex, Daniel Burnham, changing the […]