Tess Tarchak-Hiss | Author

Teen Apathy in the Political World

Nov. 29, 2025

In my third-grade classroom, Donald Trump won the 2016 election. Tension was high in Mrs. Maxbaur’s class; girls galloped across the playground on their imaginary horses, gathering info on everyone to see who would vote for whom. On my made-up mare, I investigated that 14 kids would b… Read More >>

Please Stop Pausing

Nov. 1, 2025

I know there are by far worse people in the world, but something about film bros—the pretentious guys with big opinions—provokes me like nothing else. As someone who was held at gunpoint to watch and critique Seven Samurai by their father at age eight, I know for a fact… Read More >>

Ethics of Thrifting

Sept. 20, 2025

In my last mall adventure, I had a dilemma: I found the perfect pair of jeans. A pair of low-rise pants that didn’t sag or drag—I felt extremely Destiny’s Child. The cut was trendy; the style was in; the jeans were mine. Or it could have been, if I didn’t have a mora… Read More >>

No Space in TC for Teenagers

Aug. 9, 2025

Senior summer is supposed to be cosmic in the scheme of the Midwest experience: June through August is a fresh taste of freedom for the young, licensed, and lively. The millisecond final exams end, teenagers sprint to their souped-up trucks to get a start on their superlative summers. They&… Read More >>

Fostering New Female Spaces on the Net

March 15, 2025

My mother’s worst nightmare had come true: I had lice.

I got lice at the ripe old age of 12, posing two questions: First, can middle schoolers even get lice? And second, how did this even happen?

At the time, we’d been stuck in COVID quarantine for a month. I was… Read More >>