Hali Morell

AKA Curly

Hi, I’m Hali. First off, thanks so much for visiting our site! You’re probably wondering, who are these people and…well…just what is it that makes them tick? Or, maybe you’re not wondering that at all.  Either way, here’s a bit about me.   

I grew up in Palos Verdes Estates, CA…a place I didn’t fully appreciate until I spent four years freezing my ass off in Boston where I majored in Acting at Emerson College and minored in writing. Both degrees meant pretty much nothing. I mean, what did I expect?  To walk into an audition and hand them my degree?

Me:  “But, I have this degree!  Shouldn’t that grant me at least a call back?”
Scary Casting Director:  “Next!”  

So, I sailed off into the demeaning world of waitressing and then this great thing happened. I found The Working Stage in Hollywood. A theater company that allowed me to write, act, and direct. It was awesome…and I don’t use that word often…because it reminds me of growing up in the 80’s. I mean, my hair alone was just beyond embarrassing.  

It was also around this time when I was finally diagnosed with, as my dad would describe it, “A whopping anxiety disorder.”

Oh, my parents are both therapists, by the way.  So, I grew up analyzing my dreams, a hobby I still look forward to every day. It’s guaranteed that if you tell me your dream, it will be dissected. But in a good way…not a gross biology class way.  I truly believe that dreams are the key to what’s really going on with you. Growing up in a therapeutic environment allowed me to be very, very, very open…too open at times. Give me a drink and a half and you’ll know waaayyyy too much. But I can’t imagine not being as introspective and self-aware as possible.  

Hold on… back to the anxiety for just a sec because this is really important. I was truly saved by Zoloft. All of a sudden, I could wake up without this feeling of impending doom. I know medication is a controversial issue but being able to function in the world without sobbing constantly is a gift. Don’t get me wrong; the anxiety is still there…just ask my husband. But, I at least have it under control and understand what the hell it is. In fact, I wrote a one-woman show about it a couple of years ago called “My Pretty Panic.” It turns out; anxiety provides a lot of good material.  

My present day life is not what I expected it to be…but in a good way! Somehow, the kid who hated school wound up becoming a teacher. And I love it! I am currently a Life Skills (Council) facilitator and Community Service Director at Crossroads School in Santa Monica..

 I’ve been married to my husband for a long-ass time! Anyone who knew me from ages 11-27 would have a hard time believing that I’m in a healthy and supportive relationship.  Yes, the dysfunction started early.

Robin AKA Stork and I met in a memoir writing class several years ago and have been studying and learning the wonderful world of writing together ever since. It is truly an honor and a joy to be able to co-create this vision with her!

Please find some of my published "peaces" below:

"An Angel With Furry Wings: When Your Cat is Your Child"-http://penmenreview.com/angel-furry-wings-cat-child/, 

“A Woman on the Edge”-http://towerjournal.com/fall_2017/essays/index.php

“The Frank Twist:  When the Actress Doesn't Act”-https://www.foliateoak.com/hali-morell.html

“Three-Way Mirrors:  A Reality Check From Hell”-https://www.theparagonjournal.com/current-issue

“My Month Alone:  When the Cat Won't Help and the Inner Critic Won't Shut Up”-http://forgejournal.com/forge/2017/07/26/my-month-alone-when-the-cat-wont-help-and-the-inner-critic-wont-shut-up/

“Always Discreet: Coming Clean at the Botanical Gardens”-https://www.pendoramagazine.com/nonfiction/2018/5/3/always-discreet

“Oh, God…I’m Going Back to School: What Happens When the Midlife Crisis Hits”-https://macromic.org/2020/05/01/oh-god-im-going-back-to-school-what-happens-when-the-midlife-crisis-hits-by-hali-morell/

“The Knitting Debacle: When An Armhole Full of Judgment Destroys Your Happy Place”-https://broadriverreview.org/current-issue/

“Why I’m Like This: Tales of a Neurotic Wife” -http://wp.towson.edu/grubstreetlitmag/2020/11/06/creative-nonfiction-exclusive-why-im-like-this-tales-of-a-neurotic-wife-by-hali-morell/

So, I thought I’d close this section with a few things I love:
Storytelling
Providing a safe and comfortable environment for creative expression
Honesty
Introspection
Making people laugh
Woody Allen movies…yes, the early years
Documentaries…just in general… really, I can watch a documentary on anything
The moon
The beach
Orange…just the color…anything orange…ironically though not actual oranges… don’t really like them
This concludes the more professional (if you can call it that) portion of my bio. If you’re interested in reading more about me, please feel free to continue.

Are you still here?  Cool!  So, here are some things you may or actually may not want to know:  

I have a horrible fear…or perhaps disgust…of seeing animals have sex.  So BBC’s Planet Earth is out.

I knit at least one scarf per night, which is why my husband has to navigate around 8 full plastic bins of scarves in our garage. I usually give them away during the holidays because I have a huge fear of rejection, so I’m unable to approach stores and ask if they want to sell them. If anyone wants a scarf, I have about a million to choose from. I’m happy to mail them to you.  

I don’t cook…at all. I’m too impatient. When I’m hungry, I’m hungry and don’t want to wait. Plus, I started a fire in college and burnt the cupboards over our stove. It may have scarred me.

My Starbucks order is always an Iced Venti Soy Chai Latte which I hate saying because it sounds so classic LA and obnoxious.  

I get very frustrated while driving and often yell the word “idiot.”  

My pep talks to myself usually consist of me standing in front of a mirror saying things like,

“See?  I told you not to eat the entire 6 serving size bag of coconut chips from Whole Foods but did you listen…no, you didn’t… and now you’re stomach looks like it has a bowling ball in it. Good Job, Hal! Way to go! I guess you won’t be getting into those jeans you were hoping to wear today. Okay, just breathe. It’s okay. You’re alright. You’ll work out today.  You’ll be okay. No you won’t, you idiot! You’re not gonna work out!  You’re gonna sit on the couch all day!”  

As far as children, I don’t have them. I have a cat that has supported me emotionally for 18 years. Not that I don’t like kids but when I get home, I require peace and quiet and time to watch an entire season of Project Runway in one night without being disturbed.  

I have naturally curly hair that I didn’t know how to deal with until I was an adult.

I tend to write about every day life experiences because, you know what? Life is weird. It just is. And we need to be able to laugh at the people answering their cell phones in the middle of a movie, or the fact that the aisles at Trader Joes are so narrow that it takes 8 minutes to grab one bag of pistachios, or why the toilet seat cover always slips into the bowl before you can sit your ass down, or, yes, I’m going there, why there’s pee on a toilet seat in a women’s bathroom! Seriously, how does this happen? If you know the answer, please tell me. Or, maybe don’t tell me. Perhaps it’s better not to know.

For Hali's memoir peaces, please click here.

To read more about Hali and The Missing Peace, read an interview with VoyageLA here.