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Rachel Atias

Rachel Atias

Writer, educator, and editor based in Portland, OR; teaches creative writing at Portland Community College, Literary Arts, and Hugo House.

Jul 15, 2026

10:54
And was that the deal? Did she think that you were Puerto Rican?
11:00
I didn't ask.
11:01
That was the end of our interaction and I just kind of bought my stuff and walked away.
11:06
She thought that I was something.
11:08
Yeah.
11:09
Some sort of Hispanic thing where she could, she probably was excited and maybe she just... traveled somewhere or took a Scottish class and yeah well at least you're hitting me with some heavy questions I think that at different times in my life I would have reacted differently to her asking me like in the past might have been more offended and why are you assuming things about me and get away from me but I think Now I kind of am more interested in like seeing how the outside world perceives me and how I perceive myself and where does it align and where does it not align? And I find it more fascinating than personally offensive.
11:52
So...

15 MINS LATER

26:41
Just tell me like how that's something that worked its way in and why, and is that conscious? Is it political or it's just something that you've experienced and want to express?

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