Writing at the intersection of memory, identity, and becoming.
I write fiction and essays about the stories we believe, the selves we shed, and the moments that ask us to break open and become someone new.
Selected Writing
Fiction, essays, and poems exploring memory, identity, longing, and the forces that reshape us.
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How To Count
My cursor blinks over the get started button and my shoulders climb towards my ears in a flash of anxiety while I…
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Lucille
Crossing the park’s perimeter felt like I’d breached the event horizon of a black hole. Time stretched and my movements felt elongated…
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Grandpa
First sorrowful mystery– He rolled the beads of his rosary between his index finger and thumb, he sung oh sauna and swayed…
ABOUT RYAN
Ryan O. Rivera is a writer, essayist, and builder whose work explores memory, identity, attention, and the strange process of becoming someone new. He writes fiction and essays, publishes In Search of Lost Time, is developing Vektorsion, a reflective oracle launching soon, and is the founder of Riversmythe, a creative studio.
Current Work
Writing and tools for a more examined life.
SHORT STORY AND ESSAY COLLECTION
Cardiopulmonary Occlusions
A collection of nine short stories and two essays exploring queer identity, grief, memory, longing, and the ways we remake ourselves through periods of change. Completed as my MFA thesis at Northwestern University.
INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION
In Search of Lost Time
An independent publication exploring memory, attention, identity, and what it means to live a human life in an increasingly digital world.
REFLECTIVE EXPERIENCE
Vektorsion
A reflective oracle that pairs symbolic cards, scientific ideas, and AI-guided inquiry to help people observe their lives and ask better questions.
Launching soon