View publications.
Category Archives: Blog
Photography
Click to visit Pixieset Collections.
For Yolanda, Mi Lala
By Jessica M. Castillo This is a poem for my late paternal grandmother, Yolanda Ramona Castillo Rojas, b. Jiqui, Cuba, March 30, 1928. d. Miami, FL, USA, April 18, 2021. “Aunque no hablemos todos los días, siempre te quiero.” The grief of your life lost envelops me like a fleece blanket, smothering me. It wouldContinue reading “For Yolanda, Mi Lala”
Some Thoughts on the Capitol Insurrection
By Jessica M. Castillo Some of my perspective on the riots and insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. This story was originally posted on jessicamcastillo.medium.com on January 14, 2021. A week after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by an armed, angry mob and I am still in shock. I’m sure manyContinue reading “Some Thoughts on the Capitol Insurrection”
Airbnbs on the Road: Down South
My first Airbnb on this road trip, and the first one after my ill-fated trip to Palm Desert last year, was with Allie and Bronson, Allie’s big lovable mixed-breed rescue pup, in her three-bedroom house in St. Augustine. The house has a wild open yard and Airbnb listing description proclaiming, “Bronson’s the head honcho here,Continue reading “Airbnbs on the Road: Down South”
The Redemption of Airbnb
Before this current road trip, the last time I had stayed in an Airbnb was in April 2017. I was with my two friends Itzamme and Andres in Palm Desert, California, for the Coachella Music Festival. It’s a big three-day music festival in the desert near Joshua Tree with tens of thousands of people, ifContinue reading “The Redemption of Airbnb”
A Glimpse Over the Edge
I thought I knew what loneliness was. I know some of its depths quite well, but I was not prepared for the cavernous sense of being truly, deeply alone in the isolated wilderness. I spent two days camping alone in the Big Meadows campground—mile 51.2 of Skyline Drive—in Shenandoah National Park, my first national parkContinue reading “A Glimpse Over the Edge”
Exploring the South: Old Florida, St. Augustine, Charleston, Roanoke
My first stop on this road trip was Tampa, where I visited with my two best friends, Megan and Itzamme, and their respective boyfriends Sebastian and Javier. It was sort of a simultaneous first stop and going away send-off since I had technically already left home in Miami, but I was still with friends (whoContinue reading “Exploring the South: Old Florida, St. Augustine, Charleston, Roanoke”
The Seafaring Life
Hello from Washington, DC! It’s been two weeks since I started this cross-country adventure. I arrived here on Tuesday and being back in the DC Metro Area has been a welcome second-homecoming of sorts. I lived in DC for five years and my dad recently started a job here so he moved back up andContinue reading “The Seafaring Life”
Shunning Illusions of Impossibility
In college, a friend of a friend went on a road trip from Washington, DC to Colorado and he would write and post vlogs and photos about the trip. My friend Megan and I would sit enraptured watching this adventure unfold and we felt like we were on this exciting trip across America with him.Continue reading “Shunning Illusions of Impossibility”