Meet Naran Shettigar, our newest staff writer! “Hi! My name is Naran Shettigar and I’m an incoming junior at…
New Staff Writer: Jolene Chao!
Meet Jolene Chao, our newest staff writer! “FUN FACTS!!!! – I someday aspire to own a pet squirrel. –…
Will
-I remember you’ve told me before, you worked in semiconductors at UT? Can you talk about that a…
Reflections on Will
In September 2016, I stepped into the bustling cafe of the Mission: Possible! Community Center for the first time.…
New Staff Writer: Sidney Kaliher!
Meet our newest staff writer, Sidney Kaliher! “My name is Sidney Kaliher, and I’m a junior at St.…
New Staff Writer: Nick Wong!
Meet Nicholas Wong, our first new staff writer! “Hi! My name is Nick Wong, and I’m a freshman…
‘Robert’
‘Robert’ is a short, heavyset man with honey-colored skin. Wrinkles are graven into his round, hooded eyes. Printed directly…
Reflections on Christina
This was the first really long conversation I’ve had in a while. Actually, I was so engaged that I…
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,…
Reflections on Phillip
Okay. It was so, so incredibly cool and uplifting to meet someone who has not only lived through (and…
Reflections on JP
To be fair, I noticed his stump before I noticed Jean-Pierre. I was wandering the community center, armed with…
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.…
Reflections on Charles
I met and greeted Charles several times over the months, both at Mission Possible and at Church Under the…
‘Andy’
‘Andy’ is a large man, with chestnut-brown skin, wrapped in too-thick layers of clothes. Stringy black hair is cramped…
The Death of Nawin
Last Saturday, May 20, a man was “discovered unresponsive around 4:30 p.m. at the Texaco gas station” in San…
‘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…
Choosing Power
On homelessness and power—drawing from/reflecting on my work on ASH. *** It’s August 2016 and we’re arguing…
Moving Past Pity
Does the word ‘homeless’ ever, involuntarily, set off images of lanky druggies, filling you driver’s seat window? or of…
Reflections on ‘Sarah’
When I walked by a row of cars at CUB, ‘Sarah’ called out a greeting to me in Korean.…
‘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…
Reflections on ‘Dylan’
I’m standing in the back during the worship segment of Church Under the Bridge and start a conversation with…
‘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…
Reflections on ‘Manuel’
‘Manuel’ biked up to where I was standing, watching the line of people inching past the hygiene station. We talked…
‘Grant’
His eyes are obscured by thick, red reflective sunglasses that hook behind large ears. A maroon knit beanie covers…
Reflections on ‘Grant’
I was at the Community Center helping out—I twisted a damp, tattered rag until a few milky drops sputtered…
‘Anthony’
‘Anthony’ is a tall brown-skinned man, exuding friendliness from his joints. An arm swept cinematically aside. Long legs crooked…
Reflections on ‘Anthony’
I actually visited Church Under the Bridge that day with my small group from church. Meaning: my first time…
Interview: Mitchell Gibbs, ARCH Executive Director
I recently had the opportunity to interview Mr. Mitchell Gibbs, Executive Director at the Austin Resource Center for…
Reflections on ‘Philip’
He strides up to the counter full-force: a lanky, honey-skinned man radiating pure joy. “May I get some of…
‘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…
Reflections on ‘Ken’
He approaches me. I’m at Church Under the Bridge again, watching the service. The tinny music thunders around the…
Reflections on ‘Mitchell’
During the service at Church Under the Bridge, I stand in the back with a friendly black man, kind of…
‘Mitchell’
The starkest difference between Detroit and Austin is the weather, ‘Mitchell’ said. Austin rarely sees snow. But as…
Reflections on Ramero
At MP, he handed me this note the Wednesday after our conversation. Isabella (Bella) — Hi… 🙂 Hoping that…
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.…
Weather We Like It or Not…
When I was at Mission Possible on Monday, my friend Will introduced me to his friend Larry—a stocky man dressed…
Reflections on ‘Deborah’
I met ‘Deborah‘ at The Great Thanksgiving Banquet. Her story reminds me again of the role of family in…
‘Deborah’
‘Deborah’ is a large, elderly woman with speckled-pale skin. Her short, boyish brown curls sparsely cover her scalp, topping…
Reflections on Joe
I meet Joe at The Great Thanksgiving Banquet. He’s sitting on the curb behind a metal lamppost, hunched over his knees. There’s…
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…
A Heartening Thing Happened on the Way to Ballet
Today, I was driving to Ballet Austin for my regular ballet class. I was on Lake Austin Blvd, headed…
Reflections on Alex
I arrive at Church Under the Bridge, park in one of the slanted spaces along the side of the…
Alex
Alex was born in Chicago in 1966, but almost immediately was given up for adoption and moved to Austin…
Reflections on Michael
At Mission Possible, I was talking to a shocked-skinny man, Isaiah, and followed him back to the red booth he…
Michael
Michael was born in Austin to a relatively well-to-do family. But his parents separated when he was young.…
Reflections on ‘Rick’
I was at Church Under the Bridge again, and I noticed Nawin and went to go talk with him. ‘Rick’ fairly…
‘Rick’
‘Rick’ has a sort of ho-hum attitude about him. His face is long, framed by the brown hair curling…
The Great Thanksgiving Banquet
Today was The Great Thanksgiving Banquet, a truly great event if just by sheer scale. Mission Possible’s Street Ministry…
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…
Reflections on Nawin
Nawin actually approached me during my conversation with Loco on the curb. I noticed him standing there, looking at me,…
Reflections on ‘Loco’
Loco (it’s his true street name) actually approached me—while I was leaning against a broad concrete pillar, listening to the…
*Check Out More Austin Stories!
Other organizations and individuals have done fabulous work: check out more stories here! http://www.humanizeme.org/interviews/ https://austinhobostories.wordpress.com/
Reflections on ‘Al’
I’d found Al folded into the countertop, clothes thick and snug. I guessed he was asleep, until the loudspeakers belched…
‘Al’
“I’ve been shot four times and died twice.” ‘Al’ grew up in the Austin gang life. He was…
Mission: Possible!
Today was my first visit to the Community Center of Mission: Possible! Austin. Quick thoughts! 1. When…