But How Did You Get Here?: From Writer to Lawyer to Professor and Back Again
:: I spend a lot of time mentoring young or new writers and freelancers, and they all ask me a version of the same question: How did you get here? My path is long. My feelings are strong. And so I decided to write this story. **Author’s note: I started writing this...
Depression, the blog post
:: Today, I am painfully, horribly, depressed. I was also depressed yesterday, and the day before. And last week. And the week before. And last month. Likely the month before, and the month before that. I don’t recall much prior because the rest is covered in...
The Lifecycle of a Knitter
:: Once, I was a knitter. I’m not anymore. The lifecycle of a knitter goes like this. LAMB Knitting looks like fun. You’re good with your hands—you type really fast and can play the piano. Plus your best friend knits, and she agrees to teach you, and...
New Book Coming: THE FREELANCE ACADEMIC
:: I’m not perfect. You’re not perfect. We’re all Okay. That’s what THE FREELANCE ACADEMIC is all about. I wrote a new book. This isn’t totally surprising, since writing books is a Thing I Do. But this one is particularly meaningful to me...
Succeeding Outside the Academy Shines a Light on Failure, Too: A Conversation between Baker and Pryal
:: In short, with Succeeding Outside The Academy, I wanted to create the book that I needed when I was changing careers. This post is simultaneously published on Kelly J. Baker’s blog. From 2013 to 2015, Kelly J. Baker wrote a monthly column for Chronicle Vitae...
Women Write Los Angeles: Nine Great Novels about L.A., By Women
:: Here are nine dynamite books by women set in and around Los Angeles, recommended by a nine women writers who are dynamite in their own right. Don’t get me wrong: I love Raymond Chandler. Phillip Marlowe is outstanding, as is his latter-day reincarnation, Michael...
I Am a Writer Because of Mary Oliver
:: I am a writer because, when I was a sophomore in college, I lucked into a 6-person poetry writing workshop with Mary Oliver. She forced me to reckon with every word I put down on the page. I didn’t understand what words were until that writing workshop. I was...
How to Write About Your Kids without Being Awful
:: You can choose to write nothing about your kids, which is a fine choice, or you can write about your kids with utter kindness, respect, and gratitude. And even then, you must be careful. I have a deadline looming for my monthly column about motherhood, and I hit a...01. About Me
Author, essayist, sometime law professor. Topics that will get me talking: mental health and disability, sexual violence, and making words happen. I want to be your friend, even if I have trouble showing it.
03. Letter
