On March 25, 2026 I, Julia, stepped off the plane and onto the tarmac, immediately flooded by unfamiliarity. I had already booked my trains from city to city, starting tomorrow morning, but for now it was past my bedtime and I had no idea how to get to my hostel in the center of Warsaw. Some signs were in English, but more were in Polish. The only Polish words I had truly learned before my arrival were jabłko and mleko and chleb (apple, milk, and bread, thank you Duolingo). A

Plus Steamed Chicken, La Cabra, & my DMs are closed (unless you are a brand or an invitation) hello party girls I don't check Hot Literati's DMs very much because I've been prioritizing engaging with members on the website-- members who post, come to book club, and more. But I did check them briefly today. Being a niche-internet celebrity is sometimes fun and sometimes very confusing. I will occasionally receive DMs of people who saw me in target and think I'm shorter than th

On July 6th, 2026 I, hailo, headed to downtown Wichita to visit NICHE's Culinary School. Photo by Kevin Colborn Niche is a part of Wichita State's Technical School, training the next generation of chefs, restaurant operators, and others suited to disrupt the hospitality industry. Hospitality is an industry close to my heart--in DECA competitions as a teenager, I always competed in hospitality events, and I spent two years in New York working for a very exciting restaurant-tec