Writing Within Communities: A Testimonial

by

Kayla Greenwell

 

Being a writer without a community is like being writer who doesn’t read. Since it’s different for every writer, I’m going to discuss how beneficial being in a writing community has been for me as a student and novice writer.

I was not introduced to a writing community until I joined First Friday Wordsmiths in college, and I was actually strong-armed into joining by a friend of mine. At first, I was intimidated. I was afraid to share my work because I had received bad feedback in the past—not bad as in critical, but feedback that didn’t help me as a writer.  I think a lot of novice writers feel this way. They feel that their work isn’t good enough or the feedback they get is going to be harshly negative and hurtful, but this is a myth.

One of the most important things about being a writer is your audience. Being part of a writing community is like being part of the sharpest most critical audience you’ll ever have. (I mean this in a positive way.) My friends, acquaintances, colleagues, fellow students, and everyone who is part of my writing community have helped me to improve my writing. It may be that they just let me read it out loud to them, or that they give me critical feedback that teaches me new things about my craft. No matter what they do, it still helps me move forward.

The best example of this is a writers’ retreat that I went on two years ago. I was surrounded by writers I was comfortable with and, as a part of an exercise, I started to write about my grandfather. I thought when I wrote it that it would just be something I wrote for an exercise and never touch again, but when the people in my small writing community read it, they saw potential in it. Eventually it went on to be published in Blotterature literary magazine.

I encourage anyone who wants to move forward and improve their writing skills to join a writing community. There are many different writing communities, and you need to choose which one is right for you. The benefits far outweigh the fear of failure. 



Technology VS The Writer

by

Kayla Greenwell

 

Technology is generally pretty awesome—I mean, you're using it to read this blog right now.  A lot of us, especially millennials like myself, use it daily to do everything from watch television to pay bills. However, there has been a lot of buzz recently about the effect technology is having on our brains. And there are strong arguments from credential sources on either side of this argument, but what does that have to do with us writers?

Following through on your commitment to writing can be hard in the digital age.  Technology is often considered a double-edge sword. It hurts as much as it helps, but I don't think that is an accurate description. Technology, especially for writers, is more like a sword without a handle.  It does exactly what it is supposed to do, but if you aren't careful when you use it, you're going to cut yourself.  Technology does exactly what is says it's going to do, the trouble comes in how we use it.   So what can we do to keep focused and use technology like a master swordsman? We have to give up the distractions we love so much.

Here's some advice from author's claiming they've beat the technological distraction monster.  Nick Bilton, author of this article, introduces the struggle we all know too well:

"I was going to start writing this post a couple of hours ago, but I got distracted. At first I checked Twitter — lots of chatter about the debate there. Then I did a side-shuffle to Facebook, where I saw a friend just purchased a lovely new plant! Then Tumblr, to look at some funny animated gifs of Fearless Felix. Then Instagram. Then Twitter again...Although all of these distractions are wonderful for our creativity and sanity, they can also be incredibly unproductive when it’s time to get some real work done."

Of course, avoiding distractions is easier said than done.  Recently, I have found a few applications that actually shut your internet down for a set period of time.  There are a lot of them out there, but the one I use is Cold Turkey, because it is free—and you can't turn it off when you get weak and want to check your Facebook notifications.  I have found that, if I have all my research done, this is a great help to me.

In the end though, you have to find what works best for you.  If it's making lists or planning to give yourself enough time to write a few hundred words a day, because that is typically all you can manage before life sweeps you away again, then that is what you need to do. But for those of us who need a little push to break free—there are options out there.  Good luck technological swordsman. Let's hope you master your training and start putting pen to paper!



Writing for Social Change: A 3-Step Starting Guide

by

Kayla Greenwell

 

So you’ve decided to write for social change.  You’ve sat down, straightened your workspace, and pulled out your writing materials.  Now what?  The social justice world is huge! It can be daunting for a new writer to dive in, so how do you get started?

Step 1: Pick a Topic You’re Passionate About

There are a lot of social justice issues out there, so you want to make sure that you have chosen one that that you are passionate about.  It could be from your own experiences and familiarity with the subject, or maybe someone you know has experienced this form of social injustice. Or you might choose it because you feel like it is something that you can understand and relate to because you identify with the group of people suffering from that particular type of social injustice. When I write, I focus on gender violence, especially when it comes to sexual abuse. As a survivor, this is easiest for me, because I have experienced it and I believe that sharing my experiences can change the world for other women.  You don’t have to be a victim of social injustice to write about it, but you should become knowledgeable on the subject. Which leads me to…

Step 2: Get Acclimated

Learn everything there is to know on your subject! This is true for any writing, but research is especially important when writing for social justice. The reason for this being that social justice issues are complicated.  They often discuss abstract ideas, they often have multiple sides, and they even sometimes have conflicting belief systems. You don’t have to know everything before you start writing, but you should be familiar with the landscape of the issue and the general arguments from all sides. Be careful of any bias that a source may have.  I like to use Al Jazeera because they are a non-profit news source, so there is less chance of bias, and their writers are credible, informed, and involved.

Another helpful source is the Socialist Worker. They create a helpful platform when it comes to analyzing and following current discussions and debates on a variety of topics. This site is helpful for getting situated into the most current part of the conversation but is probably not best until you have a background on your subject.

Step 3: Write!

Now that you have an understanding of your topic, you can start to write! The amount of writing out there can be overwhelming, but the key to getting started is not losing your own voice in all the information that is out there.  What you have to say matters! Only you can share your personal experience, and that is an invaluable tool.

Forbes Magazine interviewed award winning author Beverly Schwartz in an article titled, "This is Our Time for Storytelling: 3 1/2 Tips for Writing About Social Change ..." Schwartz says, “If you feel a story in you, and you want to let your inner writer out, start a blog … If your inner creative is still not satiated, tell your story through social media, video, photos, murals, or animated comic books. Whatever. It’s your story, your message. You need to find the format that works best for you and your audience.” (Emphasis added.)

So get writing and remember, "A word after a word after a word is power."* 

__________

* From the poem “Spelling” by Margaret Atwood.



Why Should We Write for Social Justice?

by

Kayla Greenwell

 

"We write because we believe it will matter.

We write to access our own power .

We write to help others access their power." –Write on! Writing for Social Justice

 

Social justice—the idea that everyone in society, regardless of identity, has an equal chance at wealth, opportunity , and privilege. What does it have to do with writing? Well, the key to achieving social justice is by creating awareness to be used in breaking down the current barriers in society. So how can you do that? What tools can you use? Your words, of course. 

 

The role of a writer, creative or otherwise, is important when it comes to bringing awareness and educating readers about social justice. At first, it seems impossible. How can just one person change the outcome of so many? How can the writing of one person with different experiences help others that do not share the same background?

 

It is not just the individual effort, but the individual effort of many than can help bring awareness to the social injustices of our world.  Our words have the power to impact whole communities. We can see this effect in the use of social media round the world, even in countries where the people are heavily censored.  People in Syria and other countries have taken to social media to tell the world of the injustices they have experienced and bring awareness to their struggles.  The people for Ferguson, Missouri are doing the same right now.  People are reading these words and making changes in the hope that these injustices are not repeated.

 

Words are ideas made concrete, and the power of an idea is immeasurable. We can use our craft to share, educate, and change the minds of those who may not know the damage they do in a world with institutionalized social injustice. As writers, we love our words and we want to share them with others. Writing for social justice is a way to share our words with others in a way that can positively impact and change our society.    

 

Examples and Resources:

 

·         Women Write Resistance! Poets Resist Gender Violence, edited by Laura Madeline Wiseman

 

·         Write on! Writing for Social Justice, created by members of a NYCoRE Inquiry Action Group 

 

·         Reading, Writing, and Rising Up: Teaching About Social Justice and the Power of the Written Word, by Linda Christensen

 

·         Power, Resistance and Literacy: Writing for Social Justice, by Julie Gorlewski



It Ain't Just a Story: Writing about 21st Century Native Americans

by

Kayla Greenwell

Last week, Kathryn Page Camp deconstructed the Native American stereotype as she discussed the importance of historically accurate representations in writing. Stereotypes not only make our writing bland and incorrect, but also reflect the institutionalized racism in our society. It’s a lose-lose situation.

 

It is interesting to think about, if you are writing Native American history—but what if you are writing about the realities that Native Americans face today? Of living on the reservation and dealing with the struggles and prejudices that a 21^st Century Indian encounters?

 

I look to Sherman Alexie’s young adult novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, to answer my question. Alexie is the best-selling author of 24 books—and he still finds time to make films and do stand-up. Alexie is a Spokane/Coeur d’Alene Indian who grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpinit, Washington. Alexis pulled from these experiences when he wrote The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

 

Alexie creates a beautifully written, accessible narrative about a young boy named Junior. What is special to me about this novel is how Alexie realistically portrays the difficulties of reservation life. Don’t get me wrong, the book is hilarious. But in-between the jokes and comical insights, the reader begins to see the legitimate struggles of contemporary reservation life: poverty, alcoholism, housing, and employment. To show you what I mean, here is an excerpt from a chapter titled “Halloween.”

 

At school today, I went dressed as a homeless dude. It was a pretty easy costume for me. There’s not much difference between my good and bad clothes, so I pretty much look half-homeless anyway.

 

And Penelope went dressed as a homeless woman. Of course, she was the most beautiful homeless woman who ever lived.

 

We made a cute couple. Of course, we weren’t a couple at all, but I still found the need to comment on our common taste.

 

“Hey,” I said. “We have the same costume.”

 

I thought she was going to sniff at me again, but she almost smiled.

 

“You have a good costume,” Penelope said. “You look really homeless.”

 

“Thank you,” I said. “You look really cute.”

 

“I’m not trying to be cute,” she said. “I’m wearing this to protest the treatment of homeless people in this country. I’m going to ask only for spare change tonight, instead of candy, and I’m going to give it all to the homeless.”

 

I didn’t understand how wearing a Halloween costume could become a political statement, but I admired her commitment. I wanted her to admire my commitment, too. So I lied.

 

“Well,” I said. “I’m wearing this to protest the treatment of homeless Native Americans in this country.”

 

“Oh,” she said. “I guess that’s pretty cool.”

 

“Yeah, that spare change thing is a good idea. I think I might do that, too.”

 

Of course, after school, I’d be trick-or-treating on the rez, so I wouldn’t collect as much spare change as Penelope would in Reardan

 

It is sad to admit, but it seems that there are just too many problems in this world for one person to focus on. Unless we are constantly reminded of issues in front of us, we become disconnected with them. I fear that many Americans don’t realize that these pervasive issues still exist today. It seems impossible that issues from a century ago could still exist today, but they do. We forget, but thankfully there are writers like Sherman Alexie to remind us. Alexie quotes W. B. Yeats as the novel opens, and I think it would be a great place to end. Just remember, “There is another world, but it is in this one.”

The Importance of Finding Your Voice & Poets Who Have Already Found It

by

Kayla Greenwell

 

Since 1981, the United States has acknowledged October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, yet domestic and gender violence are still some of the largest unsolved social issues of our time. Twenty-five percent of women will face domestic violence in their lifetime and twenty percent of women will fall victim to other forms of gender violence, such as sexual abuse and rape.  If you take the time to do some math, twenty percent of the female population of America is approximately thirty-one million, according to our most recent census. That means at least thirty-one million women are affected by some form of gender violence in their lifetime. Still, with so many females marred by these horrific crimes, these issues are rarely discussed.   It seems so straight forward it’s silly, but in reality we don’t talk about these things. Only 40% of rapes are ever reported.

Breaking this habit of silence and talking about these issues is the first step in dismantling a society that universally condones gender violence. It’s not easy, but it is necessary for survivors and supporters (both male and female!) to step up and fight these issues.

So how do we find the right routes for our voices to take? How can we be heard? I think we should pick up on what the writers of the anthology Women Write Resistance: Poets Resist Gender Violence are putting down. Over 100 women American poets challenge the current narrative on gender violence and use their experiences to help bring to light the issues that many other women face but let their fear and shame choke their voices.  The synopsis of the book states that, “The critical introduction frames the intellectual work behind the building of the anthology by describing how poets break silence, disrupt narratives, and use strategic anger to resist for change. Poetry of resistance distinguishes itself by a persuasive rhetoric that asks readers to act.”  Do you see what can be achieved by doing this?  

They are writing about their experiences and using poetry as a platform for social change.  They are not just sharing their experiences, but challenging us to change our lives so that these experiences will never be repeated.  They know that they do not just speak for themselves but for the thirty-one million women in America who have or will experience some form of gender violence—whether it be domestic or otherwise. 

In an overwhelmingly busy world, sometimes we forget that our words are powerful.  We can use our writing as a platform to let the world know that gender violence is unacceptable, and we are done staying quiet. So pick up a pen, and challenge our current world. Change our narrative.  Speak loudly and, if you are afraid, remember those who cannot lend their voice. Together with our words we can do anything.



Let's Get Real: The Controversy behind Magical Realism

by

Kayla Greenwell

 

Monday marked the first official day of National Hispanic Heritage Month, and it just wouldn’t feel right if we didn’t talk about one of the major literary movements that originated in Latin America: Magical Realism. Magical realism mixes elements of the magical into an otherwise mundane setting in film, art, and writing. Perhaps the most well known for mastering this craft is the late Gabriel García Márquez, who passed away on April 17^th of this year. 

The world has fallen in love with magical realism. It has been universally influential, and authors from Franz Kafka to Toni Morrison have attempted the genre. Many of these authors have adopted magical realism into their work to give agency to the social, moral, and political issues in their work.  The particularly unique sense of surrealism and mystery that a reader experiences when reading a work of magical realism is indefectible.   

So you may be thinking at this point that I am being a little dramatic.  How can a genre that is so widely accepted be controversial, Kayla? Well, hold on. I’m getting there.  The controversy is not in the genre itself, but in its origin. 

Magical realism started as a movement in Latin America in the 40’s, but the term was actually keyed by a German art critic named Franz Roh in 1925. He used this in a discussion about several paintings that came out at the time. It was only fifteen years later that the magical realism writing movement begin in Latin America.  This has caused some controversy over the years as to whether the tradition of magical realism really belongs to Latin America.  While I can’t solve the controversy, I can honestly say that even if the idea of magical realism did not begin in Latin America, they are certainly the ones who perfected it. Magical realism is near and dear to my heart, and I can’t speak for Mr. Roh, but I think he would hope that no matter where or in what form, that people would enjoy the genre. 

Recommendations for authors of magical realism:

·         Jose Martí

·         Ruben Darío

·         Juan Rulfo

·         Jorge Luis Borges

·         Haruki Murakami

·         Salman Rushdie

·         Franz Kafka

·         Nikolai Gogol



Women in the Multiverse! Comic Books and Gender Representation

by

Kayla Greenwell

 

Happy women's history month, all! I knew when I sat down to write this blog that I wanted to write something substantial about women, but I was perplexed.  I wanted to avoid being political, but I also didn't just want to give a  big history or literature lesson.  I wanted to show how far women have come in a way that people don't usually think about, and then suddenly it came to me: comics.

Comic books may seem like the last place to find diverse, non-stigmatized writing about women, but when looked at closely, female super heroes are some of the most diverse, well-written characters.  Super Dames have been dominating popular culture since the 60's, but there is a stigma that genre fiction and comics are somehow less than their counterparts of "real" literary fiction—that genre fiction is just a means of escape. Really though, genre isn't just escapism. A lot of the time the worlds we read about in genre fiction are much worse than our own, but it does give us something invaluable. These writings give us the tools we need to escape similar situations in our real lives.  They deal with real issues, even if those issues are veiled through tropes and literary devices.  This is true for women and gender as well.

Comics are a great record of women's rights and equality, because unlike some of the greatest feminist novels (not to diminish their importance)—most of these women are still being written. They change and become more current. They evolve.  You can track the thought of popular culture through these women—see how public thought on women involved into what it is today.  Women have come far, but there is still further to go and comic books, when looked at closely, reflect that perfectly.

There are  two examples that I want to share with you:  first is a classic, Wonder Woman (DC), and the other is brand spankin'-new, just announced this month--Ms. Marvel (Marvel).  I'm sure most people know who Wonder Woman is—but, just for good measure, I'm going to tell you anyway. Simply, she's an  Amazonian princess who kicks butt and does not take no for an answer.  I think her writing is fair in the portrayal of women not just because she is stoic, independent, and powerful, but she is also compassionate, she gets confused, and she had a tough time making certain decisions.  Over the past 50 years writers have done a great job portraying her in different lights, and giving her more complicated emotions that many people have to deal with in reality. 

More recently Marvel announced a new Ms. Marvel, and it is something that made headlines in papers internationally.  The new Ms. Marvel is a 16-year-old Pakistani girl Kamala Khan.  I think her addition to the long list of super heroes is so important, because it brings a sense of globalism to equality and gender representation.  The first comic came out on February 05, and if you have the time and three dollars I would definitely suggest checking it out.  It's well written, even if it can be a bit silly. 

Or even if you're not interested in Ms. Marvel, pick up a comic or graphic novel.  See for yourself how these writers have created a vast, diverse universe in which women thrive.  Women's history and the ideas of society towards women can be documented throughout the thousands of issues written over the past several decades, and now—they are looking towards the future.  It's a great feeling.