holidays
I'm Not an April Fool's Person
On pranks, awkward social scripts, and quietly stepping out of the joke
Shannon Hilson
Writer of essays, reflections, and cultural commentary. Exploring creativity, inner life, and what it means to grow wiser on purpose.
Internet
This Is Not the Audience I Ordered
A writer’s take on audience mismatch, parasocial weirdness, and platform logic that doesn’t add up
Life
Somewhere Between Winter and Whatever Comes Next
Turning fifty, rearranging a life, and letting the space tell the truth
Writing
5 Small, Strange Habits Every Longtime Writer Develops
From mentally editing restaurant menus to collecting odd bits of dialogue for future stories
Movies
What I'd Grab in the Criterion Closet
A short list of long obsessions
Life
Eleven-Year-Old Me Had a Plan
What she got wrong about adulthood and what she understood better than I did
Life
What I Kept, What I Threw Away, and Why It Mattered
On cleaning out our house, reclaiming a space, and choosing the present
Internet
I Don't Want to Be Discovered. I Want to Be Understood
Reflections on visibility, proximity, and what creative recognition really costs
Internet
The Difference Between Having a Thought and Publishing It
How I decide when to stop writing and close the tab
Movies
Jim Carrey, Andy Kaufman, and the Art of Letting People Squirm
A love letter to social experiments, good-natured trolling, and intentional confusion
Internet
Everyone Clicks the Personal Blog
And I think I've finally stopped wondering why
Internet
Being Seen Is Not the Same as Being Available
On attention, assumption, and choosing where access ends