2006 Stories

(click on photo to read short story)

Thanks to Gabe Wolf for taking most of the photos.

Mariel Austin		Need a break? Refuse to do work? Click on me and you won’t regret it!
Maggie Bond		Maggie was born in Oakland, but now resides in Berkeley. Her house is populated by giants, and she spends the majority of her time there standing on chairs to reach things. When she isn’t shamelessly plugging her zine “Evidence”, she is dreaming of college campuses with weather. She has always believed in snow, but in her young life has not yet found it.
Leanne Brotsky		Leanne was born and raised in Berkeley. When she’s not dancing, she likes to read, watch TV, and drive around with friends listening to ’90s pop. Next year she hopes to be on the East Coast studying psychology. Leanne follows the advice of a very wise woman who said, “Tis a far far better thing doing stuff for other people.”
Nadia Brunner-Valesquez		Nadia now resides in southwest Berkeley, her hometown since the day her mother birthed her. She enjoys the simple pleasures in life, some include people-watching, chatting, reading, and nutella. One day, she hopes to live in Germany with her five children. She also hopes that you enjoy reading her short story and that you find her protagonist quite seductive.
Bobbie Burgos		Bobbie has lived in Richmond most of her life, but has gone to Berkeley schools all of her life. She is the eldest of her father's 2 children and the middle child to her mother. Bobbie plans to attend either Humboldt State University or CSU Monterey Bay to major in psychology and sociology. Bobbie Hopes that her story of her great grandfather will impact your life as much as it has hers.
Kristina Chan		With two English teachers for parents, Kristina often feels pressure to write brilliant stories and inspired essays. Next year, she plans to attend some college and study something.
Laura Cornwall		Laura listens to film scores late at night and loves words more than she ought to. She idolizes Anne Carson (reality is a sound, you have to tune in to it not just keep yelling) and Wes Anderson (I think we're just going to have to be secretly in love with each other and leave it at that). She creates art vicariously, giving her characters paintbrushes, cameras, guitars, and late-night diner booths.
Felicia Evans		Felicia has lived in Berkeley all her life. She's the oldest sibling in her family and she adores writing poetry and short stories Felicia wants to attend Merrit College for two years to study journalism or criminal justice.
Rose Fadem-Johnston		Rose Fadem-Johnston has all ways lived in Berkeley. Because of this her childhood was filled with strange politics, and equally strange family excursions. She believes strongly in smiling at the awkward moments in life, and hopes these moments continue to provide amusement for years to come. She fully plans on riding off into the sunset when all is said and done.
Natalie Gaber		Natalie’s only home has been in Berkeley, and thus she has absolutely nothing in common with the protagonist of her story. She does, however, greatly enjoy traveling, eating, reading, playing volleyball, and writing. She hopes to continue doing all these things at a college on the East Coast.
Megan Gaebler		A born and raised Berkeleyite, Megan has four siblings. Some might say this is an inordinate amount of children, but Megan can’t imagine life without her three brothers and one sister. Next year, she hopes to attend UCSC and minor in music with an undecided major.
Misha Gates		Misha has lived in Berkeley her whole life with her mother and dog. She would like to say that if you liked her memoir, then you will like her short story. As you can see there is a consistent theme running through both of them: adoption. The story is sad but refreshing at the same time. Enjoy!
Emily Gee		Emily Gee has lived in Berkeley all of her life, besides the three years she spent in Lawrence Kansas. She’s always enjoyed English as a subject in school, and was excited at the idea of a class concentrating on creative writing rather than the classic essay. Aside from school, Emily’s true passion is music. Music defines her in a way neither writing nor talking can seem to do. In summer of 2006, she ventured to a music camp where her, and her cello Eleanor, had an experience they’ll never forget.
Ian Gill		Ian enjoys reading Camus and watching Godzilla movies. In his eyes, there’s nothing better than watching big monsters destroy buildings… and fight other big monsters.
Anthony Granados		Anthony Granados was born in Wales in 1960. He lived there for 12 years before moving to California to complete his education. Attending Harvey Mudd College in 1981, he met his future wife Arya in a basket weaving seminar. He returned to his home is Wales in 1989 where he now lives with his wife and two sons, Daxius and Alessan.
Rebecca Hardin		Rebecca Hardin was born in Berkeley California, where she currently resides with her parents and two cats. She hopes to study either business or biochemistry at UC Berkeley next year. She tries to make the best of what life gives her, and lives by the motto, "stuff happens." When she isn't studying, she practices the violin and enjoys playing chamber music.
Evan Hughes		A native of the Bay Area, Evan Hughes resides in the North Side of Berkeley, where he spends his days practicing drums and writing stories. He lives with his two parents, his younger brother, and his identical twin cats. He hopes you enjoy his short story get a good laugh or two from it. Though the story was not based on anyone in Evan’s family, he believes many of you will be able to relate to it. Evan hopes to attend a university next year and pursue both academics and music.
Noah Isaacs		Noah Isaacs has lived in Berkeley all of his life. Noah comes from a long line of teachers, but so far has much to learn, and little to teach. Noah’s one passion in life is creativity, whether it is writing stories, making pottery, or composing music.
Levi Jacobs		Levi Jacobs enjoys the simpler things, like tea, climbing trees, and overhearing random things people say on the street. Levi loves writing, but he doesn’t like all the rules therein. Levi will one day make a movie that will make you feel ways about stuff.
Tessaly Jen		Tessaly is intrigued by people. She is astounded by the profound impact people can have on each other. How they can make each other laugh in one instant and cry in another. In her story she explores how three very different people affect each other when they meet in a subway station.
Judith Joy		Judith Joy lives in Berkeley, California with her mom. She lost her childhood hero when she was ten years old but hopes to someday find her again. Next year Judith plans to go to college and succeed.
Lucien Kahn		Lucien Kahn was born in Berkeley, California. He loves it in Berkeley but would like to go to a small liberal arts college on the East Coast next year. Lucien’s guiding philosophy is Mayonnaise in Moderation. He really likes alliteration and explaining his motto to curious and eager listeners.
Ariel Krizack		Ariel is a Berkeley native, born and raised. She lives with a small family of mom, dad, and dog. She is a fan of music, art, and food. She reps the B all day, everyday.
Anna McDowell		Anna McDowell was born in Brooklyn and moved to California at the ripe age of 3. Her father was born in Belfast, giving her dual citizenship and more freckles than she can count. She reminds her reader: her life is much less morbid than the tale she has created. Enjoy.
Sophie Meryash		Sophie Meryash was born in Santa Monica, but moved to Berkeley at a tender age of three. Her mother is a Berkeley native and attended the University of Santa Barbara; Sophie aspires to follow in her footsteps. Like Andrew WK, she believes that we should all “party hard,” along with her own life philosophy of working hard. Sophie hopes you will find her memoir both interesting and relatable.
Adam Miller		Adam Miller was born at Alta Bates hospital in Berkeley, CA, and has lived in the same house ever since. He has one older brother, and two great parents. The memoir written here deals with great experiences gone bad, and what good can come out of it. He feels you cannot take life too seriously, or it could slip by you in a fit of worry. He hopes to attend Pratt Institute in New York to study industrial design next fall
Alex Mokhtari-Fox		Alex was born and raised in Berkeley. His story deals with some teenagers who find themselves in a predicament after one character gets a girlfriend. He believes you shouldn't think too much and just let your hands and heart do the writing.
Mari Monosoff-Richards		Mari has lived in Berkeley for all but three months of her life. Those months were spent in San Francisco (California), New Milford (Connecticut), and Cambridge (England). She is considering becoming a doctor when she grows up. If that fails, she wants to be a fairy princess, reside in a castle, and live happily ever after. The end.
Andrea Morris		Andrea has lived in Oakland all of her life, but she goes to Berkeley legally, so don’t even try to sue her. She loves cooking and attempting to speak French, but has found out that she cannot do them simultaneously. Actually, it’s kind of amazing that she doesn’t run screaming from kitchens, especially those with electric stovetops. Found out why.
Caitlin Morrissey		Caitlin Morrissey was born in San Francisco, California. Although she loves the snow, she has never experienced a white Christmas, but hopes one day she will be able to build snowmen on her front lawn.
Sara Nazeer		People are different from one another. A lot of times we convince ourselves on one decision that makes us believe in what we see in one particular person and then we make observations from that. I would like to proof that this is wrong.
James Nolting		James lived in Las Vegas for half his life and had a very large pool, but he likes Berkeley better. He has no ambitions or goals in life yet, so he should probably get started on that. In his memoir, he talks about a llama dying, so if you really like llamas, you probably shouldn't read it.
Caitlin O'Donnell		Caitlin O’Donnell grew up in Berkeley, California. She loves creative writing and hopes you enjoy her story.
Sam Pardee		Sam Pardee has lived in Berkeley all his life. He’s heard every joke about his name so don’t even bother. In fact, he doesn’t like boring family vacations, though it’s possible his memoir would lead you to believe he does.
Mary Pinto		Mary has lived in Berkeley her entire life. Her dream is to attend the prestigious and fictional Pennbrook College. After graduating, she plans to move to Queensland, Australia. Ideally, Mary wants to start a kangaroo and koala farm and fine-tune her Aussie accent.
Lindsay Rotblatt		Born and raised in Berkeley, CA, for pleasure, Lindsay enjoys sipping frothy lattés and reading the New York Times or Washington Post. She revels in good political discussion and frequents Los Angeles when Berkeley begins to give her headaches. She studied french this summer in Nice, France and hopes to study Biological Sciences at the University of Southern California or some other school with good weather.
Ben Rubin		Born in Summit Hospital in Oakland, Ben has lived in Berkeley his whole life. He has had an interest in science and mountain biking throughout high school. Next year, he hopes to attend a small liberal arts school on the east coast.
Jacob Rubin		Jacob Rubin has lived in three places, more than half of which are in the Bay Area. His family has been described as "literate" and "adjusted" by popular news sources. Jacob's story might be the greatest thing you've ever read. He's cocky about that sort of thing. He aspires to be a 40-year-old art student.
Ada Ruzer		Ada is an aspiring writer. She loves how words can create new worlds. She was born in Moscow, Russia, the home of some fabulous writers. She loves globetrotting, dancing, and the Bay Area. In the fall she hopes to be happy at some university.
Alina Schnake-Mahl		Alina Schnake-Mahl’s birthday is January 23. The very day, coincidentally, that this assignment was due. Her story has nothing to do with her birthday, but the date of her birth is a useful bit of information. She hopes you will store it in your brain, and read her story.
Sebastian Schwelm		Sebastian was born in San Francisco and moved to Berkeley in 2002. He swears he isn’t clumsy or accident prone, but he does admit to making haphazard decisions every once in a while. Accordingly, Sebastian has a very “let-it-happen” mentality that probably gives fate too much credit. He hopes to study music in college, and avoid the obvious temptation of dropping out and becoming a ski bum.
Reddy Seelam		Reddy is a dot dot Indian, form a distant city called Milpitas. He spent most of his life in India and came back in 2002 to be with is parents after 6 years of separateness. he likes the guitar, but when he tried to play it, it broke. so he just listens to the music, but never dared go near it again. he likes books, computers and cars. But now he is going back again to India to do medicine for another 5 years. "damn my life sucks."
Jacob Shandling		Jacob was born in Oakland, California at Children’s Hospital, and has lived in Berkeley for his entire life. He has always had a fondness for the outdoors, music, and other forms of art. He tries to hold highly the idea that it is of the utmost importance to keep the important things in life at the center of it.
Ruby Shapiro		Ruby Shapiro has lived in Richmond ever since she was two. She is the fourth member of her family to attend Berkeley High School in the last twenty two years. Even though Ruby is allergic to dust, dirt, and grass she has played softball her entire life. She is not happy about getting older but is excited about a new college setting.
Joe Shemuel		Joe is proud to have lived in Berkeley all his life. An only child, he spends his time with headphones on his head, a pen in his hand, and sandals on his feet. Like Doctorow, Joe believes that “writing is a socially acceptable form of Schizophrenia,” but he hopes his story about post-Katrina Louisiana doesn’t reflect too badly on his mental condition.
Eunjie Song		Eunjie, better known as Angie, hopes her readers will not find her story too offending. She loves dancing, but by no means would she ever even consider entering such a career as the one depicted in her novel. She is originally from Korea and moved into the U.S. in 2002 so her father could become a Lutheran pastor. She attends church weekly and steers clear of the corner of Fourth and Fremont. She just likes to read articles about social issues a lot, that's all.
Amelia Starr		Amelia Starr divides her time between Berkeley and Moraga. She loves pie and highlighting. Amelia often feels that she might as well sleep at JLAC because she is there so often for crew practice. She is partial to green M&M’s. Amelia loves Berkeley, but wants to go to college somewhere that has seasons.
Megan Stimpson		Megan has lived in Berkeley her whole life. Currently, she resides across the street from a very nice old man who seems to spend all his time out in his car. This man inspired her to write her short story.
Maddy Trumble		Maddy has lived in Berkeley all her life and absolutely loves it. She enjoys dancing and singing, and on occasion, doing them both at the same time. Maddy lives with her mom and little sister. Her big brother resides in New York City, where he is currently studying how to become famous. Maddy hopes to learn how to do the same thing herself, by studying Musical Theater in college.
Kyle Tuominen		Kyle has moved from place to place and is in continuous change. He enjoys writing for the newspaper, tennis debate, and his beloved red sox. He lives with his Dad who has taught him the ways of Red Sox nation. Kyle plans to attend Ohio University and become a writer for the Boston Globe.
Ari Usher		Arielle Usher has wandered in a haze of questions since her first waking moment. She finds herself now, in her final moments of high school, no less confused than when she started out. But that is just fine for the time being, as she plans to spend the rest of her life dispelling said confusion.
Lia Vardy		Lia was born at home with a midwife, she now throws it down regularly in North Berkeley. She enjoys a good cuddle most in life, but, stays hardcore at all times. In the future she plans to attend a four year university or maybe take a year off to see new things. Most of all she aspires to become Mrs. David Yu and that my friends, is a true story.
Kiara Vaughn		Kiara has lived in Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond and Fresno at some point in her life. Each city has given her an experience to add to her list of events that she plans to put in her autobiography sometime in the future. She plans to attend Holy Names College in the fall of 2007 and study forensic psychology.
Sterling Weaver		Sterling has grown up in Berkeley most of his. At sixteen years old, He is an aspiring firefighter and, hopes to attend Florida A&M University, in Fall of 2007, where he will major in either criminal justice, or fire science.
Melissa Wee		Melissa has no clue what she wants to do with her life- maybe go to college, maybe travel the world, maybe become a hobo and live in a shack on the beach. She does know, however, that she wants to avoid the boring life of the protagonist in her story, whose mediocre job, relationship, and lasagna have led to discontent.
Theo Wilson		Theo would really like you to read his short story. It’s a little long, but he promises that reading it will be worth your time. If you don’t understand it the first time, read it again. It’s deep stuff. p/S Reading it out loud to a friend is the way to go (share the experience!).
Gabe Wolf		Gabe has lived in Berkeley all his life, and is a 5^th generation Bay Area native. He enjoys traveling, and spends his spare time playing ice hockey, hanging out with friends or generally having fun. If Gabe was an ice cream flavor, he would be mint chocolate chip.
David Yu		David Yu was born in San Francisco. He has resided in Boston, Maryland, San Mateo, and Berkeley. David feels a strong connection to his family and friends. He enjoys reflecting on his past and analyzing the moment, a true Apollonian. David hopes to attend Harvard next year.