Turning Points

What Nourishes Your Writing Ecosystem?

On the value of understanding the kind of ecosystem that will support and sustain the flourishing of our lives, on and off the page.

Mar 01, 2021
Finding an “I” in Indian Literature

It turns out all I want to find in literature, whether I write or read it, is a little piece of myself.

Sep 17, 2020
So, You’ve Finished Your Book

When my students finished a draft, all I wanted them to do was sit inside of it for longer than was comfortable. To acknowledge and celebrate what they’d accomplished.

As a Nurse and Writer, I Work Toward a Culture of Care

Despite how fruitless both nursing and writing can feel, I choose to engage with both.

Mar 21, 2019
How Solange and Morgan Parker Inspired Me to Write My Heroine

I thought I had to make myself smaller, quieter, in order to survive.

Dec 20, 2016
The Palette Knife; or, How I Rewrote My Book

It wasn’t a matter of finding my voice, but listening to it. It had been there all along.

Oct 19, 2016
My Movement from Dancing to Writing

“Was I replacing one language with another, one way of communicating with another?”

Apr 28, 2016
Learning to Be Embarrassed on the Page

“To risk something real as a writer is to risk making a fool of oneself.”

Apr 21, 2016
Dipping the Pen Nib Into Tragedy

“It meant not constantly trying to get readers to feel pity for my characters, which was what I’d been doing for way too long.”

Mar 07, 2016
Surrendering to a 41-page Paragraph

“In his attempt to make something balanced, measured, conventionally well-made, the writer is defeated from the start.”

Mar 03, 2016