Werk-In-Progress

2003, Lewisville High School, Junior year. It was the year the Dixie Chicks said onstage at a concert that they were ashamed to be from the same state as President George W. Bush. The year talk radio hosts would invite listeners from all over Dallas-Forth Worth to call in and say exactly what they thought about those three white women from Texas who had dared to insult our President and insult the war of which we were all so proud.

I will keep this brief. When I found out the actor Diane Keaton died at the age of 79 on October 11, 2025, my tongue turned into an elongated NO. A swift rejection of the reality staring up at me from my phone. I clicked a link. I blinked. I read, then I texted friends. Their tongues and fingers and eyes did what mine had done. And then it came, the thought that “79??” It seemed so young. In part because aren’t famous rich white women supposed to live if not forever, a much longer than 79?

Hello, my loves: Maggie Smith and I are hitting the road this September to bring The People’s Project to y’all live and in color! We’re so excited! All the tour information is included below AND here’s a sneak preview of the introduction we wrote for the book! XO. The truth is that you don’t need us to explain how it feels to be alive in an era when daggers—seen and unseen, personal and systemic—are being thrown at us from every we direction. You know our reality like you know your heartbeat.

Hi everyone, I hope this apocalypse finds you well. Anyway, if you’re in the Boston-area and perhaps in need of good company, conversation and a dash of encouragement, you’re in luck. On Tuesday at 6:30pm, I’ll be at WBUR CitySpace celebrating the launch of my friend Maggie Smith’s book DEAR WRITER. As many of y’all know, we’re co-editing an anthology titled THE PEOPLE’S PROJECTwhich comes out this fall. We’ve got a lot to talk about.

I’m hooting and hollering this morning, y’all. I’m so excited to reveal the cover of THE PEOPLE’S PROJECT: Poems, Essays and Art for Looking Forward. This anthology of twenty-six writers is a community in book form. Maggie Smith and I have spent the last few months reaching out to the people we ourselves turn to for clarity and hope. My prayer for this book is in its pages we all will find maps, blueprints, and lodestars that guide us toward each other and toward the future we deserve.

A few weeks ago, my mentor and dear friend Roxane Gay was kind enough to join me for an event here at Harvard Medical School. I’ve been organizing a series of public conversations about creative nonfiction over the course of my residency and this was certainly a highlight. Roxane and I both read new work then had a wide-ranging discussion about the creative life, politics and culture. We had a HOOT and kept it real. I’m delighted to that video of our event is available now. You can watch it here.

My dear friend Eula Biss and I love teaching nonfiction workshops together. We’ve co-taught a workshop together twice so far at Bennington College. She’s also visited my students at Harvard to read some new work and discuss the craft. Ugh, she’s the BEST. That’s my booski. So, I’m thrilled to share that we’re going to be teach an online seminar together on Sunday, April 27th at 3pm! And you’re welcome to join. Click here to learn more! Also, there are scholarships available! Okay, bye.

I spent my morning with high school students at Exeter Academy today, reading from my work-in-progress Home Out There. It was a joy, in particular, to discuss my research on Langston Hughes. Young people are very honest; if they aren’t interested, they don’t hide it. It meant a lot to see that they were so focused on what I had to share with them. I understand there’s some kind of event happening in Washington DC today, but that’s none of my business. I have work to do, as do you.

I’ve been thinking about Republican and/or fascist strategies. And about how the strategies themselves are a form of communication. My wondering led me to confront my feelings about “woke.” I’ll be honest; I’ve avoided using the term or taking it seriously, in any way, for years now. I find it… well, annoying. But that’s just me. I was not going to jump in front of a discursive bus to defend “woke.” Now, though… well, I’m still not going to do that. LOL.

I don’t feel good about our country, and I don’t wish I our country well. That’s a worrisome set of feelings considering that—like many of you, and many of the people I care about—I live inside this country. But it is how I feel. Like I’ve said before, I’m asking more questions these days because I don’t have many answers. Or, more accurately, I’m suspicious of answers that feel easy. Especially my own. How can I trust what I know when I’m surprised in the worst way so often?