by Emily Branden | Sep 18, 2023 | Uncategorized
My cousin’s Saguaro went down. Sixty mile an hour winds while he watched it sway in record heat temperatures. I arrived the next night, only to squint on his iPhone at the damage during a recent Arizona storm. It was the centerpiece of his Fountain Hills home,...
by Emily Branden | Apr 9, 2023 | Uncategorized
Leaving W. San left me in a state of shock. And like shock goes—I didn’t notice until I stared at the walls of my temporary spot on Marcy. East Marcy. A bit fancy for my past sixteen years down on West San Francisco Street. “End of an era…” friends chimed...
by Emily Branden | Oct 18, 2022 | Uncategorized
They say the hardest things in life, the things that almost break you are what make you. Driving twenty miles outside Scottsdale, Arizona late August and still 100 degrees, I listened to Matthew McConaughey’s book on tape. Seconding my belief in...
by Emily Branden | Oct 4, 2021 | Uncategorized
It’s been a life of catching up on summer. And Hemingway, and sunsets, and the way the light hits the pool and turns purple before dark. A season of camping and teaching in public again, and singing—on the lawn at el Rey, and Cowgirl patio, and listening to friends...
by Emily Branden | Jun 8, 2021 | Uncategorized
If you did the difficult self work of 2020, this summer may be the biggest transition of your life. I’m humbled by maintaining conversation and casual acquaintances knowing I already was narrowing my focus to a select few. It’s not that I don’t love humanity, it’s...