Toward the end of his recent book, Image Control: Art, Fascism, and the Right to Resist, Patrick Nathan offers a robust defense of the art of criticism. Here, despite the risks associated with starting a post with an overly long…
Poets, are your rough drafts piling up? Maybe some draft poems seem to have potential: a strong opening. A resonant image. A metaphor that shines. And yet, something’s missing, and you can’t quite pinpoint the problem. Or perhaps starting new poems…
As any internet recipe starts, start with an intensely personal anecdote that people might scroll past to get to the ingredients list (regardless, it should mean the world to you). This can be anywhere from your love of pies to…
The Season of the Witch is upon us and what frightens me most is my own writing. I sit for hours at my desk and pen a paragraph that’s eventually deleted (ugh!), or I fret over word choices because maybe…
It is no secret that reading nourishes and empowers our writing. Yet, reading like a writer may not always come naturally to us and requires us to train our faculties in precise ways. The following are some possibilities and suggestions…
My memoir began with questions about my family—Who are we? What happened to us? Why are we the way we are? But what I really meant was, Who am I? Why am I this way? And actually, what I really,…
The fall before COVID hit, I was barreling towards peak burnout—but I didn’t know it. This was before the buzzy articles appeared in the New Yorker, Harvard Business Review, and Fast Company. I didn’t know what was happening to me—wasn’t…
A few months ago, the New York Times published one of the most arresting wildlife stories I’ve ever read. The story itself—about efforts to save the dwindling population of greater adjutant storks—was sensitive and well-done. But, and I assure you…
My only true obsession is writing. At any given moment, I am likely starting a new poem, editing a flash fiction piece in addition to wrapping up a new beauty blog. And that’s on a slow day. Does all of…
With communities around the world staying home due to the pandemic, there’s been a number of stories documenting unusual and inspiring animal activity, some true and some sensationalized. These stories, as well as some of the questions they’ve elicited from…
“Time and Distance Overcome”: I titled this class after an essay of the same name by Eula Biss. I wanted a few words to suggest how a dive into the historical record can yield surprising and urgent connections to our…
If you’re looking for a little inspiration as well as some company to write with, try joining us at the next Quarantine Write-In. Even if you’ve never put pen to paper before, you’re most welcome. I serve up writing prompts…
The hybrid memoir has the potential to be far more than a straight-up personal story. The appeal is the creativity of blending various elements and the result is a fresh take that can resonate in larger ways than a traditional…
When I initially planned my spring quarter Embodied Ecopoetics workshop, the world was a different place. I offered my first installment of this workshop at Hugo House in the fall and was excited about the opportunity to offer it again…
With National Poetry Month starting April 1, Hugo Instructor Janée Baugher wrote this poem for the blog. Her class, National Poetry Month Intensive, starts tomorrow. Late registrations are welcome. Call 206.322.7030 to sign up. Learn more » I’m thinking about…
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