What does dawn smell like? Peach pit, licorice, bread, nests,...

What does dawn smell like? Peach pit, licorice, bread, nests, sparks, blood. What does dawn smell like? Anticipation.

For the Paris Review Daily, I wrote five essays about the senses of dawn, how those early morning moments feel, sound, smell, taste, and look. It’s a brief mysterious time of day, and being awake in the in-between made me realize that there might be no such thing as silence. Goodnight, good morning. You can find the essays here.

[Illustration by Jackson Joyce]