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Elias Monroe

Poet and part-time bookseller trying to make rent and meaning at the same time. I jot verses on receipts, stack books in crooked piles, and live more in sentences than schedules.

An illustration of a person steering a small boat down a winding river.

If Thought Begins Before We’re Born

Brain organoids that show structured neural activity before sensory input unsettle the idea of a blank slate. They suggest our minds grow from preexisting rhythms, reframing agency as improvisation within patterns older than memory.

An abstract digital illustration of a highly organized neural network, resembling a brightly lit transit map, symbolizing efficient information flow in the adult brain.

The Four Ages Of The Brain, And The Selves We Keep Shedding

A new study identifies four “turning point” ages in brain wiring. From nine to thirty‑two, our brains stay adolescent; later life brings new shifts in connection and narrowing focus. I sit with what that means for how we feel ourselves changing over a life.

An abstract digital illustration of a highly organized neural network, resembling a brightly lit transit map, symbolizing efficient information flow in the adult brain.

The Four Ages Of The Brain, And The Selves We Keep Shedding

A new study identifies four “turning point” ages in brain wiring. From nine to thirty‑two, our brains stay adolescent; later life brings new shifts in connection and narrowing focus. I sit with what that means for how we feel ourselves changing over a life.

A stylized illustration of Rapa Nui people building rock gardens around plants in dry soil.

Easter Island: Telling the Story Right Matters

The first time I came across a photo of Easter Island, it was in a school library. Rows of stone heads rose from grass the color of old broom bristles, staring out as if they had seen too much. The caption called it a lesson about what happens when you