Holly Starley's Rolling Desk

Home
Podcast
Notes
The Joy of Revision
Archive
About

By Van, Foot, or Bike. Stories on Roaming (+ Travel Tips)

What I Mean to Say Is Gracias
The bus disappears in a haze of golden flecks. There's not so much as a signpost. And I have to decide. What now?
 • 
Holly Starley
85
When Holly Met Ruby
Listen now | I’m about to cross the bridge over Coos Bay on bicycle. After that, another 130 miles. All the time, I'm eyeing the lure of a red van, just…
 • 
Holly Starley
46
11:41
The Tao of Poo
A manager who smiles with his mouth ushers me into a parallel universe that hides in plain sight at many highway gas stations across the US.
 • 
Holly Starley
47
Who I Met on a Path in the Woods Alone
Today’s post is revived from the archives—a rewrite of that older piece at any rate.
 • 
Holly Starley
5
8:13
Who I Met on a Path in the Woods Alone
The slim path is about to turn in toward jack pine forest. Over the edge, the lake is an aqua shimmer. A crow flies on silent wings into the sun. I…
 • 
Holly Starley
31
A Pig in the Woods and Other Outcomes
“A hog?” He was incredulous. “What’s a pig doin’ in the woods?” I laughed. “A hawk,” I said, like it rhymed with lock. “You know.” I held out my arms…
 • 
Holly Starley
17
A Door by Any Other Color
High on the faraway pinions tickling my nostrils, I barely even felt the jolt of contact. So, when I turned to youthful eyes watery with remorse, I…
 • 
Holly Starley
31
Of Bears and Ants
“Her head”—Jill made a wide oh with her arms—“fit like this.” She breathed as if to fill her nostrils with the musk of fur and sighed like a purr. I…
 • 
Holly Starley
13
Looking for Love in All the Places
A lake called Ghost, a watching hawk, and tiny frogs formed from soil and bark are pieces of the setting for the drafting of a letter. The draftee, a…
 • 
Holly Starley
31
Mike D and the Exquisite Jade Lincoln
For two hundred days, I wore a turtle’s shell on my back. I walked, and I rode, and I walked some more. I slept in hostel bunk beds, in fields, and on…
 • 
Holly Starley
17
Baltimore Blue
I’m sure I envisioned a table, steaming blue crab piled high. New friends, eyes and lips glistening with candlelight, melted butter, and story. I’m…
 • 
Holly Starley
33
One Man's Repot Lot
I’ve just turned the kettle on for tea when a knock sounds on the van’s side barn doors. I tense for an unpleasant exchange. The pandemic has changed…
 • 
Holly Starley
28
© 2024 Holly Starley
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture