Columnists

5 Questions with an Established and Emerging Writer

Authors Chelene Knight and Sophie Jai explore novel writing, community, and social media in the respective stages of their differing careers.Chelene Knight is the author of Junie (2022), Dear Current ...

On slowing down and appreciating the little things

With so much going on in the world and in our own individual lives, it’s easy enough to let small pieces of happiness slip through our fingers. As a writer wearing so many hats, I won’t lie, sometimes ...

The Chaos of Creation and Why I Chase the Rupture Point

When I write, it feels like I am on the inside of a spinning wheel that never stops. The wheel lets itself loose from the chassis and throws itself, willingly, down the hillside. The after effects of ...

Small gifts from writers: The power of writerly connections

On one especially sunny day when I was a young girl sitting at my kitchen table scribbling stories on the backs of old receipts my mother left on the table, I closed my eyes, looked into the future, and ...

Just because I don’t “look” like an editor...

Just because I don’t “look” like an editor... I remember the first time I went to pick up the mail from our post office box, when I was the managing editor at Room magazine, and was told by one ...

When old ways, thoughts, beliefs, and people no longer serve you

“Every moment is a fresh beginning.” —T.S. EliotLately I have been thinking about the act of releasing the things in my life that no longer serve me. When I revise a piece of writing, the first ...

On Listening to Your Gut Instinct When Editing Your Work

First, there’s that twisty churny feeling that crawls across your skin when something doesn't feel right. It’s similar to the feeling that can arise when you are walking home late at night and you ...

How writing rituals saved me from quitting as a writer

I define my writing ritual as a series of unique actions taken that tells my brain it’s writing and creation time. This is part preparation, part boundary-setting, part protective aura. I know that ...

My Attraction to Gritty Stories

Not all stories are romantic or are tied up neatly at the end. Sometimes characters do not have a redeeming quality, and sometimes their experiences have made them hard and difficult to “save.” Gritty ...

Finding Our Intentional Role in the Black Lives Matter Movement

As a Black professional in the publishing industry, I have been listening deeply to all of the conversations taking place around what folks can do to support the Black Lives Matter movement. Some of these ...