“Rejection is the most common thing a writer can experience. When it comes to writing, rejection is the rule, not the exception. If you cannot handle rejection, don’t be a writer.” –Roxane Gay In the last eight months, I’ve been awarded a PEN Center USA Emerging Voices Fellowship and a Voices of Our Nation Arts… Continue reading Second Time’s The Charm
photo credit: via NPR Code Switch (Images.com/Corbis) I am not your perfect liberal. Sometimes I accidentally mess up gender pronouns, and I watch television shows that sustain the patriarchy (The Bachelor is such a juicy mess this season). Sometimes I date self-obsessed men who fuck with my self-esteem, and I take way-too-long to delete their… Continue reading Writing As “Other” And Why You Have To Tell Your Stories
photo credit: Picasso's Le Rêve (The Dream), 1932 "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." - Pablo Picasso When I was growing up, I wrote through everything. What I mean is, back then, I wrote through all of my childhood fears, disappointments, and shame. I… Continue reading Write Like You’re Still A Kid
Image: http://401kcalculator.org This post is about diversity BUT I think it's useful to anyone negotiating money after receiving acceptances: Most MFA programs lack diversity. It ain't a secret; going to school for three years to write stories and/or poetry is probably the bougiest thing you could ever do (besides paying for fluff-n-fold, which I low-key did… Continue reading The MFA, Money, & Diversity (or lack thereof)
Photo Credit: facebook.com/AlabamaFTBL Today is the first home football game of the season. It’s early September in the Deep South—Tuscaloosa, AL—and the streets are empty because the game is under way. There are no cars on the road. No people in line at Target. There’s not much to do, except maybe write. But I've been… Continue reading Natalie Lima Introduction (University of Alabama ’19)
