Books
and the floor was always lava
May 2014
In her debut collection, Michelle, the twenty-four year old narrator, reflects back to her four-year-old self, placing her memories in the context of all she’s learned since they occurred. The collection is a unique twist on the classic “coming of age” story, in which Michelle explores and sorts through the piece of her life that have changed with time and growth, and the pieces that are different, but kind of the same.
Notes from My Phone*
Mason Jar Press, December 2016
In Notes From My Phone* (Mason Jar Press, 2016), Junot opens up her phone and her life to you. This collection of essays, to-do lists, vignettes, reminders and dreams mixes heart-felt memoir with the everyday marginalia that makes up a twenty-something’s life and day planner. The everyday is placed side-by-side with the universal, and in doing so, transcends to be more than the sum of its parts. If, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans,” then Notes From My Phone*, celebrates life in all its tedious and troubling beauty.
Essays and Noteworthy Blogs
“Rinse the Damn Dish“ is an essay that originally appeared in and the floor was always lava in May 2014. It was published again the Deep South Magazine in November 2018.
You can read the piece here or buy your copy of and the floor was always lava.
“When You Don’t Feel Like It” is a personal essay that explores the ways she’s missed the entire point of service. After experiencing a personal heartbreak, Michelle decided to “help others,” but in a self-centered way that led to a beautiful, albeit humbling experience.
The essay originally appeared on City Church of Baltimore’s blog in August 2017. You can read the essay here.
“60 Thoughts on Your Birthday: A Letter to My Father“ is an essay in the form of a letter on the occasion of Michelle’s father’s 60th birthday. You can read the full piece here.
In her essay, “All My Pets are Dead” Michelle chronicles the memories of her very-dead pets with offbeat humor and poignant moments that will take anyone back to the heart of their childhood and first lessons of death.
The essay originally appeared in University of Baltimore’s Plorkology: Poems, Stories, and Essays, 2013 and then in Michelle’s debut collection, and the floor was always lava, May 2014. You can read the full piece here
Articles
“A Lasting Legacy”
Published in Baltimore Law in May 2018
“15 Best Places to Write in Baltimore”
Published in July 2017 in BmoreArt
Read the full list here.
“Down by the Bay”
Published in the July/August 2016 issue of Baltimore STYLE
You can read the article here.
“Six-Year Fix“
Published in the March 2016 issue of Baltimore STYLE
You read the article here.
“Tapping into this Year’s Trends“
Published in the March 2016 issue of Baltimore STYLE
You can read the article here.
“Future Tense”
Published in the December 2015 issue of Baltimore STYLE
Read the full article here.
“Size Doesn’t Matter”
Published in the December 2015 issues of Baltimore STYLE
You can read the article here.
Book Reviews
Review of In Transit by Krys Malcolm Belc
Published by Atticus Review in June 2019
Read the review here.
Review of Why Art by Eleanor Davis
Published by Atticus Review in October 2018
Read the review here.
Review of Gravity Changes by Zach Powers
Published by Atticus Review in May 2018
Read the review here.
Interviews and Press
My Big Little Break, Barrelhouse Magazine
In this piece published in November 2017, Michelle answers Barrelhouse’s questions about the first piece she ever had published including how it felt and what she’s learned since that initial publication. You can read the full interview here.