How To
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I’ll Still Be Afraid to Talk to You Too
How to design fictional characters onto which to project (real) emotional turmoil and process (or not process) family drama.
When a Character Returns
Edward P. Jones connected recurring characters through his short stories, providing a blueprint for one writer.
The Conjuring
I saw writing was not a remote magic but something one created—built.
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Count It All What? On Titling My Novel
“The idea that a title could dissuade a reader was not something I had even considered.”
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Speaking Into the World
“Poets of color, particularly black poets, are often pigeonholed.”
New York Taught Me to Be a Better Listener
“Most writers, I think, know this predicament. I have my own name for it: the curse of starting on too high a note.”
Meeting Nadine Gordimer
“I now accept that I am forever doomed to learning from my mistakes, whether in crafting a sentence, creating a book, or living out my life. That’s the writer’s burden.”
Making Art Under Military Siege
We stayed inside for days painting papier-mâché objects. Outside, Kashmir had come to a standstill.
The Reluctant Writer
“Is it ever too late to live some version of your dreams?”
The Long Dash
“Em-dashes play all types of roles—extender, interrupter, lister—but what they have in common is an inherent desire to do more, to say a little extra, to create a kind of double time.”