Ken Ilgunas

Anything becomes possible when you claim your life as your own. The author of his life not only wields a pen, he wields a power—a power...

You know you’ve become popular when CBS News photoshops your van flying over Duke Chapel. It’s been an interesting week. “I live in a Van...

I got printed in Salon today. What this means: 1. My identity is revealed. 2. Duke knows about the van. 3. I… am… fucked.

My secret is out. Well, it will be out soon. I’m revealing the name of my college in an essay I’ve sent to Salon.com which will publish...

I’ve had the van for nearly a year. Last week, I gave it my first deep-cleaning. I have several justifiable reasons for putting off the...

[While it might seem like I’ve crammed three genres into this list, I believe that each transcends the others, (or at least they’re too...

I was held captive in the van yesterday afternoon. It was a nice day so I was in no hurry to walk to campus. I spent the afternoon—all...

I was sitting cross-legged on my van floor reading a book in a pair of sky blue boxer briefs that had rolled up to my upper thighs. I had...

I thought about writing “Kids, I have candy” on the side of my van, but I figured that would get me in a lot more trouble than just...

[Years after this was entry was published, I adapted and developed it into a tiny book, The McCandless Mecca, which is available on...

Now that autumn has finally arrived in North Carolina it's become cool enough for me to begin cooking meals in my van again. I don’t know...

Two things I love more than I used to: 1. My van 2. The Appalachian Trail. My van performed like a champ. I drove it 3.5 hours from...

George: It wasn't down in, it was sort of on top. Jerry: But it was in the cylinder. George: Above the rim. Jerry: Adjacent to refuse, is...

In my travel writing class, I read (and secretly recorded) an essay about my van. It seemed to go over pretty well. After the reading I...

Apart from campus security, there wasn’t anyone I wanted to hide this blog from more than my mother. I had a creeping suspicion that she...

I go to one of the wealthiest colleges in the country. Each year, legions of degree-toting graduates obliviously sign away the next forty...

Oh Liddy. My lonesome library. I spend more time with Liddy than I do with all the people I know. That’s because I know almost nobody...

Day 6: May 20, 2007. Northern British Columbia to Prince George, BC (776 miles) Four summers ago, I drove up to Alaska with my friend...

I have ants in my van. Of all the potential disasters that could have befallen me vandwelling, having ants was one thing I never...

Day 5: May 19, 2007. Teslin, Yukon Territories to northern border of British Columbia (158 miles). The two most useful items you can...