#BeReal -ALISA SCHINDLER

Please welcome Alisa Schindler to #BeReal. It’s taken decades for me to really figure out what it means to be real, not because I was trying not to be, but because I didn’t know how. I spent a long time insecure and concerned with others’ perception of me. I spent a long time uncomfortable with…

#BeReal – DAWN (HARDLYBORED)

Today my #BeReal guest is Dawn (HardlyBored). I have spent the last few weeks thinking about the future. Mostly because I have been sick. This is not the first time in my life I have wondered if I will have a future. The first time I was 18 and my “husband” had just choked me nearly…

#BeReal – ANDREA JOHNSON BECK

My #BeReal guest today is Andrea Johnson Beck The authenticity of a human is rare and exquisite. Near mythical. We live in a society of veiled glimpses and shadow puppetry. Social media allows many to glide between the obscurities of reality and present a life unfamiliar to even them because to be real is to…

#BeReal – MARTIN BAKER

Please welcome my #BeReal guest today, Martin Baker.   A few weeks ago I was sitting at my favourite table—corner table, right at the back—in my favourite coffee bar and got into conversation with a fellow customer about writing and literature. I learned two interesting things about the city I’ve lived in almost thirty years.…

#BeReal – PETER M. OLSEN

My #BeReal guest today is Peter M. Olsen.   Masks We all wear masks. Some are subtle. Some are hidden. Mine couldn’t be more obvious. Long hair, 20 pounds overweight, scruffy beard. The mask I wear is made from self-hatred and depression and scars. My mask tells me that I am ugly…So very fucking ugly.…

#BeReal – DAVID ELLIS

Please welcome David Ellis to #BeReal. Embracing Your Animal Instincts, Choose Love, Not Fear OK, so here it is – the real me. Uncut, cut loose and out on the streets. (Don’t you dare call the police – I’ll be good, I promise!) For all of my sins, I’m a writer.   I’m a crazy…

#BeReal – DORI OWEN

My #BeReal guest today is Dori Owen. On #BeingReal I am a storyteller. This is the way I transform my thoughts into #BeingReal. I came off the assembly line a little bit broken, a little bit funny, and with a love of all things creative. Art and writing are how I express my real. This…

#BeReal – COURTNEY KEESEE

My #BeReal guest today is Courtney Keesee. When I think about what it means to be real, the first thing to come to my mind is not hiding from the world, even though it’s an evil world full of evil people ready to judge you and tear you to shreds. And I don’t mean not…

#BeReal -STEPHANIE ORTÉZ

Please welcome my #BeReal guest Stephanie Ortéz For as long as I can remember I always felt compelled to unleash my talents to the world. My Grandmother nurtured my artistic talents by being both my adviser & biggest fan. She would collect fashion magazines and teach me how to braid my hair. She and I…

#BeReal – RA AVIS

My #BeReal guest today is Ra Avis. I love fairy tales and blanket forts. I love daydreams and dandelion wishes.  I think if you asked most of my friends and family to describe me, these concept would be tossed around. But they’d also tell you, for all my whimsicality, I am  real. My feet are…