The City Doesn't Love You Back

Audio Essay by Allison Bothley

I went to New York the way a lot of dumb, hungry kids do: lonely, overconfident, half-drunk on the myth and my own potential. I thought I’d find myself there. Reinvent. Matter. Or at the very least, force my way into a better story.

I was looking for something bigger. A life with gravity. But New York doesn’t hold your hand. She’s a church of ambition and abandonment. She’ll crack the door, sure. But she won’t save you a seat. You either become something there or you don’t. And she doesn’t care either way.

Listen now at https://audio.com/allison-bothley/audio/the-city-doesn-t-love-you-back

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Allison Bothley is a writer and recovering MFA (The New School) based in Orangeville, Ontario. Her writing has appeared in The Globe and Mail, The White Wall Review, Sad Girl Diaries, and other literary and cultural publications. Allison is the creator and publisher of Bangs Zine.

IG: @allisonbothleywrites

Website: https://allisonbothley.com

https://abothley.wixsite.com/bangs