The Creative Life
The creative life as I am living it, with notes on writing, making things by hand, the tools on my desk, opportunities worth applying for and a few short stories of my own.
The Creative Life · Opportunities
Writing residencies with summer and fall 2027 deadlines, from Storyknife and Switzerland’s cabins to Provence, plus one for Black women closing Nov 19, 2026.
The Creative Life · Opportunities
Thirteen writing residencies with deadlines from December 2026 to February 2027, with fees, stipends and who each one is really for.
The Creative Life · Opportunities
Twelve writing residencies that cost nothing to apply to or attend, from Lake Como to Switzerland and a Black women writers' fellowship.
The Creative Life · Opportunities
Fourteen writing residencies and fellowships that pay a stipend, cover travel or both, from $175 a week to $1,250 a month.
The Creative Life · Opportunities
Eighteen book festivals worth a trip in 2027, with dates, cities and costs, plus which ones are especially wonderful for Black women readers.
The Creative Life · The Desk
A sculptural spiral notepad, a pottery kit, a half-frame film camera, Hirameki, gouache and the Mail Club: beautiful gifts for the friend who is always making something.
The Creative Life · The Desk
A distraction-free typewriter, a beautiful notebook, a wax seal kit and The Artist's Way: thoughtful gifts for the writer in your life.
The Creative Life · Writing Life
How I stopped comparing my writing days to people who can create every day, and started planning my creative work around my cycle and endometriosis.
The Creative Life · Writing Life
After years of growing an Instagram audience to 100k, I felt increasingly disconnected from why I was online in the first place. So, I traded the pressure to create content for something quieter.
The Creative Life · Short Stories
One Shreveport summer, a noose on an oak tree and the honeysuckle growing nearby. Flash fiction. Content warning: racial violence.
Reading Life · What I’m Reading
One story a day from The Best American Short Stories: what the series is, where I started, and what twenty stories a year teach me about writing.
The Creative Life · Short Stories
A short story about love, loss, and the things we leave unsaid.
The Creative Life · Writing Life
A little essay about being a weird b*tch, loving God and a good cuss word, unfollowing whoever you want, and making a life that feels like yours—even when other people don’t understand it.
The Creative Life · Writing Life
Why a 20-minute evening walk is the best way to end a long day of writing at home: what I notice, my loose rules and how to start the habit yourself.
The Creative Life · Making
Embroidery for beginners, the messy way: I skipped the tutorials and started stitching. What went wrong, what went right, and how to start yourself.
The Creative Life · Writing Life
Why I write better in a coffee shop than at home, my café writing routine, and how to use a café as your office without becoming that person.
The Creative Life · Making
Why making things by hand is good for you, even when they come out crooked, plus easy handmade projects for beginners and how to make time for them.
The Creative Life · Writing Life
How I found pen pals in Colombia to practice Spanish through handwritten letters, and how you can find a language pen pal of your own.
The Creative Life · Making
A pocket travel journal you’ll actually use: the four-item kit that fits in your coat, what to glue in, and why the best journal is the one that comes along.
The Creative Life · Making
How to make a travel photo book from imperfect vacation photos: choose for feeling, write short captions, print small. My blurry trip became my favorite book.
The Creative Life · Making
How to mix a watercolor palette from memory: the glacier blue, beech green and dusk gold I remember from Patagonia, with color recipes you can try.
The Creative Life · Making
What happened when I spent a Saturday making something I would never sell: my four rules, the collage I made and why hobbies don’t need to earn their keep.