clockwise from top left: my scratchy handwriting; killer speech from the brilliant Michaela Coel; copy of Elizabeth Warren button; Poet & Writers 50th anniversary logo, which coincides with my 50th year; copy of Jane Eyre pin, with quote: “I am no bird, and no net ensnares me”; and an overly memed but apt quote from…… Continue reading Notes to self
Category: The Writing Life
Paper Love
I wrote this post for Charlotte Center for Literary Arts, my wonderful local literary arts organization, for a class I was teaching on epistolary fiction (if you’re a Charlottean or from around the region, you defnitely should check out Charlotte Lit.) Thought I would share it here, too (and pretend like I still blog sometimes.…… Continue reading Paper Love
Vote 2020
^^ Photo Credit: Gregory Maguire, taken in Portland, OR, in September 2020, https://www.instagram.com/megaguire/ “The fundamental power of democracy lies in the right to vote, and if you protect that right, you create possibilities for everything else.”— Stacey Abrams “The function of freedom is to free someone else.”— Toni Morrison “Voting is so much bigger than…… Continue reading Vote 2020
Revolutions
Me [waltzing in, whistling]: Gone from the blog for more than a year? Don’t know what you’re talking about. There never was a Time stamp. Nope. Wrong! Sad! Enoguh with the FAKE NEWS!!!!!! ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE! Believe me, I am a Excellent Writer and know Exactly how to use capitals for emphasis. Your pour…… Continue reading Revolutions
Talking shop: fiction’s missing girls, writer v. author, small towns, lyrics, + more
Happy to have had the chance to talk about writing and Sycamore with E. Ce Miller at Bustle and Sam Hankin at The Avid Reader Show (a podcast); Sam also owns the Wellington Square Bookshop (shop local and indie, y’all!). Many, many thanks to both E. Ce and Sam for taking the time to read…… Continue reading Talking shop: fiction’s missing girls, writer v. author, small towns, lyrics, + more
SYCAMORE pub day!
Hard for me to believe it, but Sycamore, my debut novel, lands in the world officially today. Read an excerpt on LitHub Listen to a sample of the Audiobook You can borrow it at your favorite library (I heart librarians, as I wrote here). Of course, you can buy it. I encourage you to shop…… Continue reading SYCAMORE pub day!
Q&A: On being haunted, small towns, and cats in boxes
Was happy to do this interview with the wonderful novelist Caroline Leavitt over at her terrific blog, CAROLINELEAVITTVILLE.
Imaginary Soundtracks, Vol. 1
Mixing it up here at the old blog by, you know, actually writing on it. “Mix,” in fact, is the word on my mind today. As in, “Get ready for a mixed-up, mixed bag of a post.” Or, “How many mixed metaphors can I throw into the mix today?” Or, “Our reckless, moronic loon of…… Continue reading Imaginary Soundtracks, Vol. 1
Here is the day
One of the first lines I wrote in the wake of The Vote was “I have lost my words.” I had gone mute with grief and rage and fear. But I had to teach, to stand in front of young scared faces who looked to me to tell them the world would not end. I…… Continue reading Here is the day
When the brakes fail, and other metaphors
The US election and its fallout coincided with our move across town. We’d spent ten months searching for a place in a bonkers housing market, which ran parallel with a total-barking-bananas election season. Finally we found a little house we could afford; we were thrilled and optimistic, even though the timing stunk (how could the…… Continue reading When the brakes fail, and other metaphors
Bryn Chancellor 