After walking for almost an hour we crossed paths with Trey. He was sitting towards the outside perimeter of…
Suzanne
Through a street retreat, I had the privilege of meeting a few of the many men and women living…
John
John was a tall, heavy African American with dreadlocks that fell to about his waist. He had about three…
Jeff
Jeff was a tall, white man who looked to be in his late 20’s or early 30’s. He had…
‘Pete’
‘Pete’ is a man of medium build. His eyes seem to be assessing you at first sight, but then…
Daisy
Though very short, Daisy stood in line for a pedicure with a posture that exuded confidence, radiance, and joy.…
Wanda
Contrasting her dark complexion and complementing her bright eyes, Wanda’s platinum blonde tresses fell at her knees. Accompanied by…
Mike
Mike sat on the curb with elbows on his knees and head alert. He had short gray hair and…
Chris
For many people, a tent is a temporary residency during a camping trip. Or an element of a…
Will
-I remember you’ve told me before, you worked in semiconductors at UT? Can you talk about that a…
Joe (UPDATE)
About five years ago, Joe accompanied a family member on a journey from his hometown in another state…
Ramone
When I approached Ramone, he was sitting on a curb hacking the bottom of his jeans off with a…
‘Robert’
‘Robert’ is a short, heavyset man with honey-colored skin. Wrinkles are graven into his round, hooded eyes. Printed directly…
Christina
Several months ago, Christina and her husband got into a fight, and he stopped paying for her living. Although…
Phillip
From the back cover of his book of poetry, Captured Emotions: Phillip S. Joyner was born in Baltimore, Maryland,…
JP
His left arm is a bony stump. It twists up and down, shiny tip wiggling out his shirt…
Charles
Charles is mid-height and scrawny, skin coal-black. His face is irreverently gleeful, his voice pitched with mirth and sarcasm.…
‘Andy’
‘Andy’ is a large man, with chestnut-brown skin, wrapped in too-thick layers of clothes. Stringy black hair is cramped…
‘Sadie’
‘Sadie’ is Vietnamese, short and thickly built. Her cropped black hair frames a round face, finely wrinkled. Crisp streaks of…
‘Boris’
‘Boris’ is tall and big, buck-toothed friendly. Brown-skinned, face reminiscent of a chimp. A white baseball cap crowns his buzz…
‘Sarah’
‘Sarah’ is Korean, short and stocky, ready for the fight. Her cropped dark-grey hair offsets a finely weathered face, skin…
‘Rico’
N.B. – This piece meshes story with reflection. ‘Rico’ is tall and thin, lanky and swaggering. Short black hairs curl…
‘Dylan’
‘Dylan’s birth was a sort of miracle. His mother had been infertile: she met his father, a Puerto…
‘Manuel’
‘Manuel’ straddles his rusty bike, standing firmly so his solid build hovers over the seat. His ropy hands grip…
‘Grant’
His eyes are obscured by thick, red reflective sunglasses that hook behind large ears. A maroon knit beanie covers…
‘Anthony’
‘Anthony’ is a tall brown-skinned man, exuding friendliness from his joints. An arm swept cinematically aside. Long legs crooked…
‘Philip’
His face gives the impression of a stretchy-skinned pumpkin. Dark brown curls are gathered into a short ponytail at the…
‘Ken’
The first thing he learned was how to cook. “I baked cakes and pies,” he said, since he…
‘Mitchell’
The starkest difference between Detroit and Austin is the weather, ‘Mitchell’ said. Austin rarely sees snow. But as…
Ramero
Ramero: Writer/Rapper. “I’m a writer. I’m writing some rap songs right now, for myself. I’m laying them…
‘Anna’
N.B: This post is both story and reflection integrated, because they’re especially essential to each other in this particular case.…
‘Deborah’
‘Deborah’ is a large, elderly woman with speckled-pale skin. Her short, boyish brown curls sparsely cover her scalp, topping…
Joe
Joe was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. He has five or six brothers and five or six…
‘Dana’
N.B: This story includes the context of the conversation and my reflections on it. ‘Dana’ is light-skinned, baggy in dust-choked…
Alex
Alex was born in Chicago in 1966, but almost immediately was given up for adoption and moved to Austin…
Michael
Michael was born in Austin to a relatively well-to-do family. But his parents separated when he was young.…
‘Rick’
‘Rick’ has a sort of ho-hum attitude about him. His face is long, framed by the brown hair curling…
Nawin
Nawin is probably in his forties. He’s lanky, in sagging jeans and a dark blue sweater, sparse dark hair cramped…
Loco
His pasty skin sags on his long cheekbones. Deep wrinkles stream pell-mell in his pink-burnt forehead, brown-splotched cheeks—cradling the…
‘Al’
“I’ve been shot four times and died twice.” ‘Al’ grew up in the Austin gang life. He was…