Small things. Quietly made.
I’m Taylor Gillis. I write memoir, poems, and children’s books—small stories about fatherhood, grief, and the emotional patterns we inherit (and sometimes break).
This site is where I share the quiet stuff I’m working on: personal essays, picture book progress, and odd little art experiments. I’m glad you’re here.
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Free Crappy Art (Yes, Really)
For years, I’ve been making little paintings, sketches, prints—whatever you want to call them. Some were warm-ups. Some were experiments. Some were just me trying to figure something out with a brush or a brayer or a new ink. I kept them. Most of them, anyway. Not because they’re precious, but because they remind me…
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A Hand Held at Night
The most tender moments arrive just before you drift off to sleep. Your mom and I take turns each night, lying beside you until your breathing deepens and it’s safe to slip away. Sometimes, just as I’m planning my escape, you say something completely unexpected. You reveal a fear of being blown away by the…
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The [Redacted] Guides
My dad and I didn’t always know how to connect.But every now and then, we found something to do side by side. When I was a kid, my dad and I joined the YMCA Indian Guides—a father-son program built around monthly meetings, crafts, and culturally insensitive role-play. I believe it’s called “Adventure Guides” now. It…
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Oh, here he comes.
My wife mercifully got me an Aeropress for my birthday this year. For a long time before that I had been drinking instant coffee. This is a short piece from the point of view of a spoon who is mildly disgusted that he has been enlisted to scoop that nasty stuff. Oh, here he comes.…
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Pocket Treasures
The minute we get home, you rush inside and turn out your pockets.This has been a productive walk. First, out comes a rubber band.Ryan, our mailman, seems to always drop them.“This one’ll be perfect for hitching train cars,” you say. Next, the penny.A little rusty, but Mom says when life shows you abundance, always accept.No…
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Read Books, Not Posts
I know. I’m posting this on a blog. But I’ve been thinking a lot about attention lately—how fragmented it’s become, how often I reach for my phone without meaning to, how many half-finished thoughts I scroll past in a day. This little piece started as a reminder to myself: make fewer posts, read more books.…