By Nicole Stump Let’s be clear: writing is hard. Regardless of good intentions, excellent ideas, and unbridled motivation, the regular routine of being in a space with an idea and communicating it to other people is difficult. This post exists to explore some habits, practices, and strategies that might create forward momentum in a writing... Continue Reading →
by Marissa Macy Younger me had high expectations about my “writing career.” Though the likelihood of ever encountering ten-year-old me, or even nineteen-year-old me, is somewhat unlikely, I imagine how I would explain myself. How would I account for my failures? Would younger me accept excuses or spit in my general direction? Would a... Continue Reading →
By Tiffany Lepa Recently, I did a thing. I created and printed a collaborative feminist zine called “Hey Girl, What Can You Do With That Mouth?” Throughout this process, I learned a lot about DIY self-publishing and the art of zine-making, so I thought I'd share some nuggets of knowledge. After joining a feminist writing... Continue Reading →
It is a truth universally acknowledged that nobody who has wiped your bottom much believes in your writing. Sure, moms will cheer for this writing thing as they did your various finger paint masterpieces. But relatives’ gentle, distant that’s nice will not sell books. No, you need fans. And to find fans, you must have a... Continue Reading →
-Sumedha So, technically this was a speech that I performed in a Toastmasters contest. But blog, speech, really, they are all ways to communicate so I thought this might make an interesting read! So here you go... When we are kids we don’t care about what the world thinks. We don’t know social norms or... Continue Reading →
A few weeks ago, during a lull in Austin’s unusually rainy autumn, my husband and I and our two dogs went out for a walk at one of our favorite parks. It is rugged and off-center enough to have remained somewhat confidential in dog/park crazy Austin. A three pronged path runs through it, which means... Continue Reading →
by Marissa Macy It's hard to write about improv theatre without sounding like a warm and fuzzy camp counselor, or a fiendish cult leader. And trust me, improv has turned me into both of those things. I do, as a matter of habit, stand in circles and recite things that sound like satanic rituals with... Continue Reading →
By Nicole Stump Perhaps you’re a more straight-thinking human, but when I’m writing anything more than an email, my notebook or Google Doc increasingly spirals out of control. I’m continually shifting, reshaping, reimagining how the piece will come out. Because of my non-linear approach to writing everything from poems to essays to fiction, it’s no... Continue Reading →
I've been fighting for clarity lately. I've been off center and getting back on track has been the clumsiest act of dropping marbles, picking them up and dropping them again. It will pass. It has to. Forward movement. These poems are a reflection of my current attempt at finding my way through this uncertain phase... Continue Reading →
