May is Mental Health Awareness Month. And we decided to showcase a variety of approaches and perspectives–two memoirs followed by one work of fiction. We noticed that sleep plays a big role in all three and that is no coincidence–too little sleep or too much is such a common ingredient in a person’s mental health…
Author: 2rulesofwriting
“When the Future Appears”
Remember, the time of year when the future appears like a blank sheet of paper -Jackie Kay “Promise” “Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes…” -Rent “Seasons of Love” Theater kids, or at least theater kids of a certain age know exactly how much time that is. Maybe you know even if you weren’t…
2 Years of 2 Rules: Check our Vibes
Don’t forget to join us on Zoom (December 9 at 12 noon est which is GMT-5) for a reading to celebrate 2 years! Adam Writes: We built this website two years ago. Two years. It’s hard to think that that was before we had paying clients. It was before we had weekly writing sessions where…
To the Shopkeeper on the Corner in East Jerusalem
The author of this essay requested that their name be withheld.–ed From the first day I moved into the neighborhood until the day I left in a hurry, I went to your shop. Your brother was always the only one there, serving the neighborhood kids who would come with their mother’s money clutched tightly in…
SAT Students and Boundaries
One of the perils of opening our magazine up to any submission is that you occasionally get a submission like this. The author requested we withhold their name to protect their identity and the identity of their SAT students. Enjoy! -Ed. SAT Students, Boundaries, Humours You have to know your students, and you have to…
National Poetry Month 2023: Introducing 30 Days, 30 Poems
(Some thoughts about poetry from Erika, on behalf of, and with input from, the 2 Rules team.) More Inspiring: Cute Boys or a Great Film? The movie Dead Poets Society came out when I was fourteen. I didn’t have a chance to see it before leaving for summer camp, but my mother and a friend…
Goldberg Variations & Other Favorites (W/L/R)
This week’s Watch/Listen/Read brings us from Baroque music such as Bach’s Goldberg Variations to modern LGBTQ+ Poetry. Leave a note in the comments below to let us know what you have been watching, listening to, or reading! Netflix and Sleepless Nights Nights where I’m awake in the middle of the night because things hurt are…
Passover and More (Watch/Listen/Read)
Erika Writes: Passover Prep Preparation for Passover has been underway here, which has meant finding an even more careful balance between doing what needs to be done and resting enough. Sure, I can rest once the holiday begins, but who wants to celebrate a holiday when you’re already feeling worn out. Especially one celebrating freedom–something…
Hamnet and other Projects (Watch/Listen/Read)
Erika Writes: If this were Caturday, I might be writing something about being pinned down by cats and discussing with them why our 30 Days, 30 Poems selections have not yet included any poems about cats. Especially when there are so many excellent poems about cats. But it’s not Caturday. Regardless, I’m still pinned down…
Poetry for 30 Days (Watch/Listen/Read)
Adam Writes: Happy Gudi Padwa! And Ramadan Mubarak! It’s National Poetry Month and Erika in particular is busy. By rights we should both be talking about our favorite poems. Giving the readers a clue as to how to read them. Etc. But I thought that while I’m still in India I should talk about a…