Bold + Queer

1256 Lexington Ave, New York City

Posted on July 19, 2023 by Melissa Willis

My childhood was peppered with stories of my mom’s own childhood growing up in New York City. She’d tell me all about the sights and smells and sounds, about pounding the pavement and watching the world go by from the roof tops. She always tried to give me a sense of direction by including cross streets and landmarks.

NYC was big and wild and so very full of all of her adolescent adventures (the good, the bad, and the ugly) in addition to being a world apart from my own upbringing or understanding.

Over a Cuppa: Four

Posted on July 14, 2023 by Melissa Willis

I’ve spent a lot of time over the past couple of weeks reflecting on the balance between being a living, breathing, dynamic human and being a content creator. These times we’re living in are so wild, with continuous access to each other 24/7 and a seemingly insatiable desire to consume more and more…

Ideas… Stories… Items… Photos… (etc.)

It’s exciting and fun and inspiring!

And it can also be exhausting.

So, as I reflect on my place in the patchwork of it all, I’m trying to remind myself of the importance of creating because I *want to create, because I’m inspired to create, not because I’m standing on some hamster wheel and feel like I have to…

Moving Pebbles: On Midlife & My NPE Experience

Posted on June 27, 2023March 17, 2025 by Melissa Willis

There’s something almost hypnotic about the way ripples expand in water when its stillness is disturbed by even the smallest movement, the tiniest pebble, isn’t there?

We spend our lives being told not to make waves, cause chaos. We’re told to hold steady, keep our heads down, and maintain the peace, whether it be in the family, at school, or in the workforce. And while this works for some longer than for others, there’s something to be said for shaking things up… for stepping into one’s power in ways previously unimaginable. Sometimes the catalysts are external, and sometimes they’ve been inside us all along.

This is the story of my NPE experience.

Over a Cuppa: Three

Posted on June 16, 2023 by Melissa Willis

Hello there! I’m so glad to share a cuppa with you! How the heck are you?

Can I offer you some hot tea? I can happily put the kettle on for you if you’d prefer coffee, too, or maybe herbal or iced tea is more your style? We have it all so just let me know 🙂

The Spring rains have moved on and the weather is lovely! Rather dry, but expected for mid-June, and truly lovely! Shall we sit under the big apple trees and listen to the breeze make its music through the leaves?

The Search for Delia Duval: Two

Posted on June 13, 2023 by Melissa Willis

The search for Delia Duval, one of my great grandmothers, continues!

As I mentioned in my last post, I reached out to several kin directly as well as messaged a handful of people on Ancestry.com. Some of the Ancestry connections were DNA matches and a few simply had Delia in their tree and I was curious about their connection.