Who are you?

My name is Sam and I’m an Asian American writer based in Brooklyn, New York. I’m a creative nonfiction essayist, focusing primarily on memoir and coming of age.

Some of my writing can also be found at the following publications:

• “My Grandmother’s Daughter” for Periphery (March 2025)

• “Kelly Ever After” for Queer Love Project (March 2025)

What is A YEAR WITHOUT WATER?

A YEAR WITHOUT WATER began in 2024 as a weekly series of anecdotes and essays reflecting upon formative experiences. It is inspired by the most emotionally turbulent twelve-month period of my life, resultant of my worst breakup ever. (“Dear Henry” is the vertical that retraces those events.)

As a standalone publication, it’s my outlet for discussing my coming of age as a gay man of color—Sex and the City, but my way.

New updates are available every Tuesday.

Welcome to A YEAR WITHOUT WATER.

Are the essays in chronological order?

No. There is no set order to the essays except when they are explicitly marked as parts of a whole (typically halves). The titular numbering refers only to the publication sequence. You are encouraged to peruse the essays in your own preferred order.

Some are linked to others, with the relevant hyperlinks embedded within; others are standalone pieces. They are intended to read like excerpts from a personal journal (because they often are!), tracing and re-tracing certain events, as immersive vignettes by design.

What does it mean to subscribe?

Subscribing to (or “following”) A YEAR WITHOUT WATER simply gains you full access to new posts as they are published, delivered directly to your destination of choice (via email or Substack).

All subscriptions are free.