Two years ago I started flirting with my current work-in-progress. I would fantasize about it whenever I got stuck in my then-current work-in-progress. I would dream about how easy it would be to write, how naturally good. Of course, I knew then as I know now that when it comes to writing, the easiest, best project … Continue reading Draft One is Done: What I Learned This Time Around
Last week, I was fortunate enough to attend a Writing Day Workshop hosted in Kansas City. Here's my top-ten gratitude thought list (that's a thing, right? You think something and you're like, "Hey, I'm glad I just thought that."). Hooray for a one-day workshop in the Midwest! These are hard to come by, folks! Just having the opportunity … Continue reading Thanks, Writing Day Workshop, Kansas City! #KCWW
What follows are my love letters to books I read in that were published in the last two years. Stay current, my friends. Dear Roller Girl, I spent every Friday night as a teen watching roller derby and eating egg rolls at my friend's house. It's about time I saw it on the page! I've … Continue reading To the Books I’ve Loved in 2016
Two Januaries (sp?) ago I posted my writerly resolutions. After a year in baby land, I finally have a toddler. Hooray! I finally have a writing routine again. Hooray! I've been gaining steam on a project I love, and I just met DIY MFA (love!). With that site's advice in mind, I bring you my resolution for … Continue reading Here Comes 2017!
Toni Morrison is right of course. Ta-Nehisi Coates' Between the World and Me, which won the National Book Award last year, is required reading. A lyrical letter from Coates to his teenage son after Eric Garner's murderer was not indicted, the text invites thought and response. I'll be focusing on his message for the Dreamers--especially the people who think … Continue reading For Us Dreamers That Read ‘Between the World and Me’
My students set reading goals every six weeks, and over the course of the year, I want them to become readers who read along the x-, y-, and z-axes. If those math terms send chills up your spine, think of it as horizontal, vertical, and diagonal reading. All three dimensions are important to becoming a well … Continue reading Helping Students Become 3-D Readers
