Today's Snapchat memory A year ago today, I published The Knowers . Simultaneously, it feels like it's been much longer since I sent it into the world, but also as if it were yesterday. In honor of The Knowers 's first birthday, here is why I decided to publish it. (Yes, it was my college essay!) My blood runs cold when a teacher asks for something in pen. Nothing I write ever seems solidified enough to condemn to permanence, as I’m not one for that level of commitment. There’s no going back with pen--every line you make is forever yours. A simple fix to this commitment issue: I always use pencil when left to my own devices. Add two numbers incorrectly? Erase it. Write down the wrong date? Erase it. Pencil is one of the few things in life for which you have a reset button. You can do away with any evidence that you can’t do math or don’t know how to use a calendar. So why does everyone always want everything in pen? Is it out of desire for us to be able to ...