Field Notes

Field Notes,
Into the Darkness and Out of Hope
In my dark corner, I lived a story that held a stigma, a story few people can hear without cringing at the thought of such a low. But it was just one of many possible manifestations of alienation and one of many stories people are reluctant to hear.

Field Notes,
On Writing Poetry: The Bite of the Aloe
Writing is rarely seamless. Though, every now and then, a poem will come to me in a rush: demanding to be written down—line after line—cramping my fingers into submission.

Field Notes,
Slaying the Dragon
The dragon the hero slays at the end of the story is the fear, the pain that is keeping them back from what they are called to do in this life.

Field Notes,
Porter House Reads: Beach Reads
These books need not stand for anything in particular, but they always touch down somewhere deep: taking gentle care to remind me that humanity is complex and entertainment is not simply a distraction, but the measure of what we have come to value.

Field Notes,
Let’s Not Be Obsessed with Speed, Okay?
I have no doubt that some artists really do create spontaneously. That is not me. And that is not most writers I know.

Field Notes,
Is the Narrator Nothing or Everything?
I didn’t come to writing school to pursue a topic, but to pursue writing, as a craft. From one sentence, I wanted to build the next. I came here to dress myself up in literature. If words were my bones, their cadence my muscle, my body’s movement would be voice, pure voice (okay, my voice).

Field Notes,
Creation is the Point: Overcoming Comparison and Inadequacy as Writers
The imposter syndrome, the fear of failure, the fear of rejection stopped me before I even started. Escaping was easier, and perhaps it’s necessary for a while. Sooner or later, though, every writer must decide—if not now, when will I write?

Field Notes,
Writing Vulnerabilities: On Giving and Receiving Feedback
While I had (and still have) a lot to learn, at its core, expressing myself through writing has always come intuitively to me, whereas from fifth grade on, I’ve spent countless nights in tears while trying to complete math homework.