This is Kendra

A close-up of a whiskey glass held to the light, showing the slow legs of the whiskey running down the inside of the glass.

What Lingers

Posted on December 3, 2025January 10, 2026 by Kendra Trammel

If you know what the look for, the glass tells you everything.

View from the stands at an NFL game on Thanksgiving night with players lined up on the field.

Thanksgiving in the Stands

Posted on November 28, 2025January 2, 2026 by Kendra Trammel

Thanksgiving night, I swapped tradition for a seat at an NFL game. Just me and the crowd, feeling the electricity of the Ravens vs. Bengals showdown. There’s something about being immersed in the action, watching every play unfold live, that hits different. Alone in the stands, I found connection in the energy of the people…

Tom Brady speaking during an interview, gesturing with his hands

In Search Of: My Tom Brady

Posted on November 26, 2025January 30, 2026 by Kendra Trammel

A reflection on discipline as care — and the kind of presence built through consistency rather than spectacle.

Tom Brady photographed by during an appearance on The Pivot podcast.

A teenager wearing a bright pink neon wig, wraparound sunglasses, and a neon safety vest during a school spirit day.

Fully Lit

Posted on November 23, 2025January 10, 2026 by Kendra Trammel

Some confidence arrives early and doesn’t require permission.

An unmade bed with neutral bedding, pillows, and a simple duvet lit by soft natural morning light.

Still There

Posted on November 19, 2025January 10, 2026 by Kendra Trammel

Some comforts don’t announce themselves. They just wait.

If 2025 had a punctuation villain, it would be the em dash. Somewhere along the way, its rhythm, flexibility, and authority got mislabeled as artificial—as if humans hadn’t been using it long before algorithms ever learned to write a sentence. The accusation says more about cultural misunderstanding than about the mark itself. Years ago, while working in agency life, a client couldn’t wrap their head around why I kept using the em dash. It annoyed them. Not because it was wrong, but because it was unfamiliar. They didn’t understand what it did, so they assumed it didn’t belong. That moment stayed with me—a reminder of how often discomfort disguises itself as critique, especially when it comes to language. Here’s the truth: tools don’t invent style—they reveal it. The em dash didn’t become expressive because of AI, and AI didn’t teach writers how to think in cadence. It simply surfaced habits that were already there. Writing has always been about judgment, restraint, and intention. The mark is innocent. The voice behind it is what matters.

The Notorious Em Dash—Friend or Foe?

Posted on November 16, 2025January 3, 2026 by Kendra Trammel

If 2025 had a punctuation villain, it would be the em dash. This short reflection looks at how tools get blamed for taste—and what that misunderstanding reveals about language, discomfort, and voice.

Illustration created for This is Kendra.

A small white heart-shaped object propped against a post on a sidewalk along a town’s Main Street.

Found, Not Placed

Posted on November 14, 2025January 10, 2026 by Kendra Trammel

Some things stand out simply because you’re paying attention.

A stylish couple standing close together in a warm kitchen, smiling while making fresh pasta by hand with a pasta roller, flour lightly dusted on the counter, conveying intimacy, craftsmanship, and everyday elegance.

Flour on Her Hands

Posted on November 12, 2025January 3, 2026 by Kendra Trammel

She tied on the apron without ceremony.
This wasn’t about perfection—it was about proximity, patience, and learning something together with no rush to be finished.

Illustration created for This is Kendra.

Author: Kendra Trammel

What Lingers

Thanksgiving in the Stands

In Search Of: My Tom Brady

Fully Lit

Still There

The Notorious Em Dash—Friend or Foe?

Found, Not Placed

Flour on Her Hands

This Is Kendra

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