Artstigatin'

In June I was absolutely honored to be asked to feature my words and photos on the Artstigators Instagram account. Artstigators features local artists of all mediums talking about the local arts scene and their creative process. I had so much fun joining the pantheon of talented, interesting artists who have been featured on this account. Here’s what I had to say:

Who I am …

Hi Artstigators! I am a writer, journalist, and creative writing instructor born and raised in Durham, NC.

I spent over 7 invigorating and formative years in NYC working in publishing, arts administration and earning my MFA in creative nonfiction before returning to Durham to focus more on my writing and teaching.

My essays cover a wide variety of topics from music to pop culture to systemic change to what it means to have a body in the world.

My journalism focuses on the intersection of disability and the arts. I teach because it informs my writing, and because a classroom is a dynamic community all its own. It is a joy to watch writers grow and I am always learning from my students.

I was born with an upper limb difference, so I work hard to make sure disabled voices are not only included but centered, and advocate against the systemic barriers that keep disabled writers from making art and being heard.

And I am a firm believer that play and rest are integral parts of the creative process, so I try to reflect that in my classes and in my work.

I think that writing – and making art – is a revolutionary act because it asks us to connect to ourselves and each other in a world that profits off of our disconnection.

Thank you for reading, Artstigators! I am excited to connect with you this week. Stay tuned for more about my creative process, and ways you can join my community.

On my creative process and why I became a writer …

I sometimes wonder if I became a writer because there weren’t any words to describe my experience as a disabled woman growing up in the 1980s.

The medical community and society described me with words that I didn’t get to choose; words like handicapped, growth retardation, special. In essence I had to write my way into existence.

I particularly like creative nonfiction (which includes essays and memoir) because I am an extrovert, and love that in order to write about life I also have to make time to live it.

Nonfiction writers also get the opportunity to tell the truth about the world we live in, which is both terrifying and an immense honor.

I’m continually amazed at the fact that if you’re an artist you can spend your days creating something out of nothing. It’s like magic, but everybody can do it – because I believe everybody is creative.

Writing can be a lonely profession, but I am glad that we are moving further away from the Hemingway-writing-alone-with-whiskey model and realizing more and more that community is essential to a creative practice.

My local favorites …

Because I am originally from Durham, this arts community has been nurturing me for a long time, and I am thankful.

I saw my first play here, I fell in love with music here, and I wrote my first piece of writing here.

Here are a few recent highlights:

I meet monthly with a group of local writers I admire: poet and essayist Joanna Penn Cooper (@musecreativesupport), podcaster and playwright Tamara Kissane at @ArtistSoapbox, fiction writer Theresa Blackinton, and writer and teacher Julia F. Green (@julia.f.green). I think joining a writing group is one of the best ways to nurture a writing practice.

Looking at visual art always gives me new ways of thinking about the world. I’m totally in awe of local visual artist Jean Gray Mohs (@jg.fourdots) for the way she makes sense of the paradox between the strength and fragility of the body.

Painter William Paul Thomas (@willart4food) needs no introduction - his work is timeless.

I love the whimsy and maximalism of King Nobuyoshi Godwin (@kinggodwinart), whose paintings leave me with a sense of palpable joy.

Writing and teaching is as much about the work as the community I am building. I’d love for all of you to be a part of it, a place where we recognize the power of words, we work to understand ourselves and each other better through our art, and we amplify the voices of those who need to be heard.

Fellow Artstigators, this has been so much fun. To all those reading - keep making art. It's such a joyful and connective way to celebrate being human.”