C.R. Hughes
Stories (72/0)
A House Divided - Chapter 1
Synopsis: A young indigenous Liberian boy's life changes when he gets adopted by a wealthy Americo-Liberian family in 1970s Liberia. Amidst cultural tensions, our protagonist has to figure out what it means to be a Liberian and more importantly, what it means to be him. When the cultural tensions in Liberia come to a boiling point, our protagonist finds himself seeking refuge in the United States and having to relearn who he is and what it means to be a Liberian on American soil.
By C.R. Hughes8 months ago in Chapters
- Top Story - August 2023
My First Girl Friend Might Have Actually Been My First GirlfriendTop Story - August 2023
I grew up in the early 2000s as a major tomboy. On TV, my representation included Max from The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, who now, watching as an adult, I can confidently guess was probably just queer (much like the actress who played her, Alyson Stoner). Much like Max, I was young and queer (though I didn’t realize it at the time) and mostly hung around boys. Although I had a few female friends in elementary school, I didn’t start to gravitate more towards girls until I was in middle school. And in seventh and eighth grade, I had a best friend who had everyone around us questioning our sexuality.
By C.R. Hughes9 months ago in Pride
Vocal is No Longer a Thing of the Past
According to my Vocal profile, I've been a Vocalite since 2019 (although I cannot remember creating my account in 2019). 2020, however, a.k.a the year of COVID and quarantine, was the year I actually began writing on Vocal. At the time, I was in my last year of college and I had lost my passion for writing. This was largely caused by the fact that my entire college career was spent writing academic essays for my peers in order to make money. I had a gift for writing, something that had been evident to me from my playground days, and I knew I could monetize my skills so I wouldn't have to obtain a regular job while trying to maintain my GPA at school.
By C.R. Hughes10 months ago in Journal
My Dad is Not Superman
For three consecutive years (from third grade to fifth grade), I won a Father's Day essay contest that was hosted by my school district. At 25 years old now I don't really remember the specifics of what I wrote in any of those essays, but if I had to guess, I probably made my dad sound like some superhero in a comic book. Because for much of my life, that was how I saw him.
By C.R. Hughes10 months ago in Men
We've Always Been Three
I was thirteen years old and my brother was ten, the night Mother came home with our little sister, soaking wet and wrapped in a beach towel. The baby was naked with a mess of curly black hair hiding her face from our view, but on her little chest was a seashell necklace, just like the ones my brother and I both had.
By C.R. Hughes11 months ago in Fiction
Surrounding Myself With Successful People is Not What I Need To Get Ahead
One of the best representations of young adult life comes from season 2, episode 5 of the sitcom Friends. In this episode, Phoebe, Joey, and Rachel have to have the uncomfortable but necessary conversation with Ross, Monica, and Chandler about finances. The first group explains to their friends that they don’t make as much money as them so it’s difficult to hang out with them when the second group always wants to do things that are outside of what they can afford. And during this conversation, both groups bring up very good points. The more affluent group understands where their friends are coming from, but also state that, because they work hard for their money and enjoy doing more expensive activities sometimes (and can afford to do so), they aren’t going to feel bad for doing those things. And they really shouldn’t. But neither should their broke friends for not being able to do those things.
By C.R. Hughes11 months ago in Confessions
Twilight Soundtracked My Teen Angst
If there was a poster child for teen angst in the late 2000s and early 2010s, it would have been Twilight. If Harry Potter was the defining era of my childhood, Twilight was the defining era of my adolescence. From 2008 to 2012, the films had a hold on tweens and teens everywhere, whether they loved the saga or loved to hate it. And I was a part of the first group.
By C.R. Hughes11 months ago in Beat
- Top Story - June 2023
I Tried a Queer Dating App and Almost Got Scared StraightTop Story - June 2023
Lipstick lesbians? Pillow princesses? Daddies? These were all brand new terms I encountered when I downloaded a dating app designed specifically for queer women. HER (the app in question) allows women to place badges in their profiles with titles like the ones listed above to let other women know what kind of queer they are.
By C.R. Hughes11 months ago in Pride