“On writing, my advice is the same to all. If you want to be a writer, write. Write and write and write. If you stop, start again. Save everything that you write. If you feel blocked, write through it until you feel your creative juices flowing again. Write. Writing is what makes a writer, nothing more and nothing less. Go where the pleasure is in your writing. Go where the pain is. Write the book you would like to read. Write the book you have been trying to find but have not found. But write.” (Anne Rice)
I am beyond honored to be part of the 2019 Dallas Public Voices Fellowship cohort. Launched by The OpEd Project, the Public Voices initiative is designed as a radical experiment around knowledge, meaning and what it takes to become influential on a large scale. Learn more about the initiative, and the partners behind it, here.
What a whirlwind! I feel overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunity to join this incredible community of underrepresented social justice leaders working to make public discourse – and our world – more inclusive.
It’s only been a few days since our first convening, but the experience has already been so transformative. It feels like the end of a years-long writer’s block. The incredible mentor-coach I’ve been paired with pitched two of my Op-Eds on Monday, and I sent her a third draft this morning. My soul has been set on fire.
“If you say something of consequence, there may be consequences. The alternative is to be inconsequential.” (The OpEd Project)
The past week has made me think deeply about legacy work and what it is I want to leave behind. To ensure that I make the most out of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I’m going to take more risks and break the occasional boundary. Most importantly, I’m giving myself grace, space, and time to sit in my feelings and write through it.
This blog will need to take a backseat during the next three months, but I hope to return with a renewed sense of purpose and voice. Thank you to all of the readers who have supported me along the journey so far. If you’d like to stay updated over the course of the fellowship, please follow along on Twitter and Facebook.
And to my fellow Public Voices Fellows… Let’s change who writes history!