Objects of Desire

In Objects of Desire a writer meditates on an everyday item that haunts them.

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Objects of Desire

Dick Rudisill’s “Ruined Couch,” a gelatin silver print of a cushionless, dirt-covered sofa
Objects of Desire

Loveseat

I threw it away. Then I wanted it back.
Helen Phillips
December 15, 2025
Crabs cooking in a pot of steaming water
Objects of Desire

Blue Crabs

Eating them the way God intended
Joseph Earl Thomas
June 9, 2025
A pair of weathered wood doors with peeling orange paint
Objects of Desire

Doorknobs

I never installed them. What doors could they have opened?
Katie Kitamura
June 9, 2025
Objects of Desire

Salomé

I gave my daughter the name my mother wanted—but who was her namesake?
Colombe Schneck
June 9, 2025
Objects of Desire

Rubber Bands

How can we extend love?
Catherine Barnett
May 6, 2025
Objects of Desire

My Mother’s Ashtray

When I lost her, I lost a world
Jonathan Lethem
March 11, 2025
Objects of Desire

A Dingy White Mug

Holding on to my Nashville childhood
Emily Bernard
February 11, 2025
Objects of Desire

My Face

When I look in the bathroom mirror, I see my past and future selves
Melissa Febos
December 10, 2024
Objects of Desire

My Rosary

A priest from my childhood was convicted of embezzlement. Years later, he still informs my faith.
Nicholas Russell
November 27, 2024
Objects of Desire

The Creosote Sea

Finding peace in a humble desert shrub
Claire Vaye Watkins
October 30, 2024