Category: Being a Writer
Kickstarting “Vuto” with AJ Walkley: An Interview
We are pleased to bring you this interview with A.J. Walkley, author and self-proclaimed fighter for social justice, discussing her book Vuto, which is currently on Kickstarter, her experiences in East Africa in the Peace Corps; and her writing journey. Pleased too that this is her second contribution on our site. – The Editors, Rachel and Anora. AJ, [...]
Forty One Strange Years of Writing
It’s almost impossible to sum up and to make sense of over forty-one years of writing, of making up stories, of being rejected and accepted by publishers, of my stories being loved or not loved, of being published over and over, of being a storyteller. Truth is, wanting to tell stories is in the blood. [...]
Let Me Tell You Why I Write …
“Let me tell you one thing about why writers write: had I known the answer to any of these questions I would never have needed to write a novel.” Joan Didion I understand what Joan Didion means – you wouldn’t write a novel, would you, if you could possibly avoid it? Because as all mere [...]
Writing a Gay Private Investigator
How did a hospital secretary and single mom of four end up writing a series about a gay private investigator? My wonderfully intrepid and at times hot-headed character David Lloyd came about through a fusion of my love of crime novels, my undying support for GLBT rights and acceptance, and the brutal attack of a [...]
Nurturing a Writers’ Group
Writers are fragile. When rejection slips pile up one yearns for reassurance. A decade back I would feel delighted if someone from my family or a close friend volunteered to read my work. But, often after reading they would feel obliged to make some positive remarks or critical comments. These casual reactions are just that: [...]
Thanksgiving’s a Holiday Over Here
The American man’s voice sounded woken-up and irritated. “It’s Thanksgiving,” he said down that payphone. “So my roommates are off work and gone home. Like, Thanksgiving’s a holiday over here.” Oh, come on, I wanted to say. I mean, with nobody getting born or killed or risen from the dead, just how big could this ‘holiday’ of yours really [...]
Farewell From Assistant Editor Victoria Shockley
“When I am writing, I am trying to find out who I am, who we are, what we’re capable of, how we feel, how we lose and stand up, and go on from darkness into darkness. I’m trying for that.” – Maya Angelou Roughly five months ago, I had a conversation with Anora McGaha, founder [...]
Finding My Voice Again: A DV Story
The air in my upstairs bedroom was cold. In the rooms below me, my daughters and husband slept soundly beneath quilts and blankets. As I sat at my desk in an empty room, dark October branches brushed against the window, letting me know I was not alone. Comforted, I wrapped my hands around my mug of tea, [...]
Musings about Magic
Maybe it’s because I grew up too fast. A bespectacled avoider of physical education, I became too serious too soon and now long to recapture my childhood. Or maybe this is my way of protesting. On the other hand, at this mid-stage point in my life, I’m hungry for adventure. Whatever the reason, my writing [...]
Interview with Canadian Writer Bolaji Williams
We met Bolaji Williams on Twitter. She responded to one of our tweets. We read a recent blog post and loved the clarity of her writing and topic, so we invited her to do something with us. Voila, an interview with writer Bolaji Williams. When did you first know you loved to write? To be completely honest, [...]
