M.C. Easton

Misogyny Is Alive and Well

So I’m at the bus stop this morning writing on my laptop, when a guy walks up to me. He shouts at me over my headphones. He juts his face over my screen. After two minutes of typing through innuendo blended with outrage, I pull out an ear bud. Me: “Sorry, but I really needContinue reading “Misogyny Is Alive and Well”

Further Thoughts on Privilege

Privilege is just a matter of everything you don’t have to think about–but that other people do. Today I bought a wheelie bag for my laptop and books. With spinal arthritis, I simply can no longer support the weight of a backpack or messenger bag. But now I have to think about sidewalks. Curbs. BusContinue reading “Further Thoughts on Privilege”

A Lot to Learn

Becoming aware of privilege is never comfortable. But it’s always necessary. I’m in San Francisco for the weekend, the “awkward straight” girl at a gaming convention for “queer geek culture.” And I’m loving every minute of it. My awareness of the world is heteronormative. And, as a straight person, I get to take that forContinue reading “A Lot to Learn”

Falling into Loss

Is our capacity to endure grief fixed at birth–like temperament? Is it a limited resource? Or is it a skill? A muscle that must be developed? And if we only have so much strength in us, what happens once we use it up? For nearly 16 months, I’ve experienced pain in my lower back, painContinue reading “Falling into Loss”

A Matter of Belief

On Saturday night, I attended Elliott Bay Book Company’s 40th Anniversary reading. Seattle authors Jim Lynch, Ryan Boudinot, and Maria Semple read from their latest novels, all published within the past year. Bookstore staff sliced cake and passed plates. They poured glasses of wine. And everyone sang the praises of Seattle and its literary culture.Continue reading “A Matter of Belief”

Poetry in the Garden

When I read the world’s first novel The Tale of Genji, I was a skeptic. Characters spoke to one another in lines of poetry. Romantic, sure—but unlikely. Until my stroll through the Seattle Japanese Garden on Sunday. I realized Lady Murasaki knew her stuff, and she was doing a lot more than building literary allusions. Suddenly,Continue reading “Poetry in the Garden”

The Desirable World

Tonight I attended Lynda Mapes’s reading from her recent book, Elwha: A River Reborn. She chronicles the world’s largest dam removal project, which began in 2011 right here in Washington state. More interesting, though, were the audience questions: What unintended consequences do you foresee? Is there any discussion of the complex issues this raises–as dismantling the sourceContinue reading “The Desirable World”

Unfold into Blossom

If you’re not sure that opening is for you, every life is better for it. And if you don’t think vulnerability is really your thing, guess again. Grief shuts life down. Locks the doors. Pulls the drapes. Shutters the windows. But at some point, you have to go outside again. And inevitably, in your firstContinue reading “Unfold into Blossom”

Something Like Family

Every year in June, one block south on Midvale Avenue, the parents throw a big birthday bash for their little boy. This year it was a mariachi bouncy castle. Latino children streamed down the street for hours, in twos and threes, black hair bobbed in bowl cuts, their mothers close behind, arms swinging, dressed inContinue reading “Something Like Family”

Just Walk Away

And keep on walking. In the end, it’s easy to say sociopaths don’t really matter. The rest of us go on with our lives. We fall in love and marry and have children. We see our friends through the deaths of loved ones. We plant gardens. Life goes on. It’s comfortable to say that. ButContinue reading “Just Walk Away”