Leslie Finlay

Articles by
Leslie Finlay

Your Past Isn’t Always Best Left Behind

I’ve never been a smoker, but it reminds me of his fingers when they touched my face, the way my hair absorbed the ambient nicotine of Brooklyn rooftops and stayed with me for days. It’s a physical conduit to the things I no longer have, but it reminds me that they were real.

Culturally Foreign Foods I Actually Enjoyed

The ammonia-overload instantly hit the senses, released a little more intensely with each chew of the rubbery meat. But what was interesting was how it felt like an entire new way of experiencing food.

In Memory of Memory

It was late at night and nobody was printing pictures. She turned on the self-service machine and waited as it hummed awake. Minutes passed.

Disorder

Nothing actually existed, including consequences. You cancel out the butterfly effect if you numb the pool.

If You Stay

I knew New York would have a profound effect on me; anywhere you spend a significant chunk of time in your 20s will.