Never Give Up

It’s been a long time since I’ve written anything here.

Since my last post, I had one of the most profound experiences of my life at the Tin House Summer Workshop in Portland, Oregon last July. It was a week of meeting unbelievably wonderful humans, listening to amazing lectures, and workshopping with a group of nine other writers in our small group, led by Sarah Gerard. I have never felt so seen in a group of people like that. We all embraced each others’ pages and encouraged each other in such a healthy way.

I made some life-long friends at Tin House. I will be forever grateful for that experience and can’t do it justice on the page. I could talk about it endlessly!

Now, I’m about to embark on another journey to the PNW, this time to Seattle. Last year, I had an essay accepted into Southeast Review, which will be published in April. The editors then invited me to be their featured nonfiction reader at their off-site event at AWP, the largest annual writing conference in the country. This year, the conference is being held in Seattle. So, bright and early this coming Wednesday morning I will be flying out there. I can’t wait!

This essay in particular is very special to me. I wrote it back in 2016 in an online writing workshop with Barrett Swanson. I’ve been submitting it ever since, in different iterations, and it’s always been rejected. Finally, on my 15th try, it was accepted by Southeast Review. The moral of the story is don’t ever give up!

So, if you’re headed to AWP, come on out to the Northwest Film Forum on Friday night to hear me read from my essay. Dance party to follow!