Obligatory Leanings, by Carissa Halston.

Read for us by Richard Kunz.

During the unfortunate decade that heralded the popularity of polyester, frosted bangs, and designs shaved into white kids’ hair, I grew up in Billings, Montana. In the wake of my undergraduate education, I fled to Chicago, forsaking my hometown and, as my Mom called it, “the promised land of plenty.” There was no use in trying to explain mixed metaphors to her; she just liked the sound of them.