In-Person or Online? Which Writing Workshop Is Best for You?
In late spring 2020, as we all adjusted to the COVID-19 lockdown, I moved most of my creative and wellness-writing workshops online.
Two months later, by mid summer, I had learned this: It’s not enough to be a talking head blathering away on that screen.
How Much Can We Write About Our Families (as non-fiction writers)?
Should we tell all truths in personal essays or creative nonfiction?
As a creative writing teacher, students sometimes ask about how to write a personal essay without bashing or trashing the real-life characters (family, friends, employers, ex partners) therein.
Ditch that Messy Draft. Embrace the Blank Writing Page.
Should I write a new draft? Or throw my writing away?
Yesterday I decided to dust off an old, Thanksgiving holiday-themed essay. It had already been drafted and re-drafted, so (I convinced myself) it would only take an hour to edit, fix and pitch.
Writing and Speaking on Immigration
This spring, I was invited to give an evening presentation that was partly craft (writing nonfiction) and partly thematic (writing about immigration). Specifically, we were going to chat about short-form nonfiction, and how and why I wrote and collected the personal essays in my just-released book, Green Card & Other Essays.
Half-way through the evening, and long before our Q & A discussion, a woman in the audience interrupted to ask about my current immigration status.