Research shows laughter may be more of a social tool than a sign of enjoyment in conversations with strangers.

(Originally published in Synapse on January 6, 2011.) It is that time of the year when gym membership sign-ups are...

It was sunrise Nail clipping of a moon, an incisor tooth Peeking and covered again, the colors of the sky...

Often, I used to drop by to ask a patient of mine about his mood, and one day he just...

[Originally published on December 3, 1998.] Students at the eight other University of California campuses went on strike Tuesday, Dec...

[Third place winner in the Synapse Storytelling Contest nonfiction category.] The typical existential thoughts of a graduate student drifted through...

I think often of the apricots & shallots that I diced in your kitchen last year with a knife you...

[Originally published on December 1, 1988.] “Sometimes people just want to talk and it’s our policy never to hang up,”...

The buttercream needed something. Raspberries? George stirred a spoonful of jam into the bowl and re-tasted. Much better, he thought...

Originally published in Synapse on November 30, 1978. Written by Andrew Zysman. Supervisor Harvey Milk was shot to death on...

Third place winner in the Synapse Storytelling Contest poetry category. we moved through the sentence of the crowd, its fork-plate...

Fall 2021 “How do you know that a man loves you?” *** Emmanuel had a firm build and rigid posture...

Originally published in Synapse on November 18, 1976. The employees of the University of California are receiving two paid holidays...

Third place winner in the Storytelling Contest fiction category. My breath was shaky. My hands were still trembling as my...

Originally published on November 13, 1997. Last week the United States Supreme Court ruled that it would not hear a...