Still Life
A monthly essay anchored to a single word. I write into it, surround it with images I’ve been collecting (archival photography, art, film stills, my own photos) and close with a handful of prompts for you.
The name works in a few ways. A still life is the art of looking closely at what’s right in front of you. Still life is also just still life, the ongoing, unglamorous, beautiful dailiness of being alive. And then there’s stillness within life. The pause. The noticing.
The whole series is free for everyone. No paywall, no catch. I’d love for you to come along, and I’d especially love to hear from you in the comments. Everyone sees something different.
Threshold (February 2026) On driving alone from Portland to the Mexican border in 2020, and what the in between place builds in you when you cross it by yourself.
Spring (March 2026) Portland’s cascade of blossoms against Mexico City’s one perfect purple note, and how a season marks not just the year but where you are in your life.
Table (April 2026) A concrete dining table that weighs a ton, the meals and conversations it has held, and why a table is the oldest technology we have for being together.
Mother Tongue (May 2026) There is a version of me that only exists in English. On the loneliness of being slightly illegible, and raising a son whose mother tongue will be two tongues.
Permission (June 2026) Turning forty, and the difference between the permission you wait to receive and the permission you simply stop waiting for.
Each essay ends with five prompts for your own still life. New ones land monthly, always free.
If you’d like everything else I publish, including all of the travel guides, every recipe and the Ask Alison Anything series, there’s a paid subscription too.