The last day of in-person school was Thursday, March 12th. It has been a month. On March 12th, I got up and went to work as usual. I didn’t get much done. I kept closing my door, trying to focus and shut out the panicked coronavirus conversation. It didn’t work. My coworkers would knock and …
Category: All
Why I love Elizabeth Warren
I wrote this as an op-ed but looking at it again, it’s not opinionated enough. Posting this here while working on a new version in a hurry ahead of Super Tuesday. (Update: here’s the final version on Medium, Why I’m Voting for Elizabeth Warren.) Knowing I was about to face Elizabeth Warren, a notoriously tough …
A moment of anger
Today I am allowing myself a rare indulgence. Today I am angry about being the only woman in the room at work, the only person of color in the room at community gatherings. Today I allow myself a moment to acknowledge that every time I make a joke about this, it costs me something. And …
Superpower
On our walk to school, my third-grader and I talk about all kinds of things — his ideas for inventions that will end climate change and provide him with a never-ending supply of candy; what superpowers we would pick if we only got one; what would happen if pancakes were alive. Yesterday, walking down our …
Write what bursts out of you
Lines from Charles Bukowski’s poem “so you want to be a writer” pop up on my Twitter feed daily. And they always make me mad. unless it comes unasked out of yourheart and your mind and your mouthand your gut,don’t do it.if you have to sit for hours staring at your computer screenor hunched over …
Writing and not writing
So often, when I write, I’m simultaneously convincing myself not to write. Nobody will care about what you say. Somebody else has already said it better. You’re sharing too much and you’ll regret it. You’re not sharing enough so what you’re writing is insignificant. Your thoughts will bore people. You’re not expert enough in the …
Second grade literary critic
I had a literary discussion with my 8-year old and it was awesome. A few days ago, I asked for his feedback on a short story that I’m about to submit to Spider Magazine for 6-9 year olds. I read the story out loud to him while he held both arms out to show how …
Muse and the Marketplace wrap-up
Final thoughts on Grub Street’s Muse and the Marketplace writer’s conference. Two things I loved: it was ego-free and truly inclusive, reflecting the ethos of Grub Street itself. Grub Street has a philosophy that everyone who writes is a writer, and all our stories need to be heard. Some people are more experienced or have …
Muse and the Marketplace 2019, Day 3
Last day of Grub Street’s Muse and the Marketplace conference. I learned so much over the past three days and walked away with a wealth of resources, books to read, and advice to absorb. First session: Essentials of Flash Fiction and Nonfiction, Tyrese Coleman Taught by an editor of a flash fiction journal, this session …
Muse and the Marketplace 2019, Day 2
Day 2 of the Grub Street “Muse and the Marketplace” writers’ conference! Keynote: Writing in a Time of Upheaval, Stacey d’Erasmo An academic examination of art by Gwendolyn Brooks, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and others whose style changed dramatically after some historical or personal event. At the end she explained that upheaval in her own personal life …