I have so many SO MANY essays I want to write these days. I keep a list on my phone of an idea or a first line or a last line. I keep thinking that I need to just take a weekend and write eight messy essays and schedule them on this here Substack. But another midnight comes. Before I know it, Tuesday is over and none essays are written. Only ideas swirling that snowball a bit in between work and parenting and friending. Usually I build more onto a piece of writing on a run or on the walk to work or in the idle time in the evenings when I’m not watching Love Island. They’re coming, but there isn’t one this Tuesday.
In lieu of a full-on story, I wanted to share a short interview I did for JH Writers about teaching personal essay to kids. I’m a little bit terrified to teach this one-day class… which is tomorrow… but this interview reminded me that I LOVE THIS SHIT. It’s fun. I love being cheeky and I love exploring and being vulnerable. Well, okay, I don’t love being vulnerable… no matter what it looks like on your screen. It’s a coping mechanism I’ve made friends with. Vulnerability was so scary and dark, but once I shined a light on that motherfucker, I found out they weren’t so scary. They just needed a hug. (p.s. I’m gonna have to reel in the cursing before *checks watch* nine hours from now, when I’m teaching children. it feels v much the same vibes as this.)
And I love being in Jackson. This place is so messed up in so many ways, but it was the birth spot of so much of who I am. It was where I really found myself—with no shortage fuck-ups along the way. But finding myself and finding Evan in these mountains. And now raising our kid here, where Evan grew up. This community and this place mean so much to me.
Okay, here’s my interview with JH Writers:
JH Writers: You’re going to be teaching kids how to write their personal stories. What are some of the key takeaways they will learn in your class?
Rachel: I want kids to learn that their stories have power! A personal essay is just like any other story—you want three acts and you want to stick the landing. It might feel intimidating, but I want people to know that they will never be able to tell THE story of their life, but they can tell A story of their life. And I believe telling peoples' stories (including our own) are our best shot at changing the world—no pressure.
JH: Why do you think it’s important for young people to learn to write personal essays?
R: From a very young age, I thought of myself as a writer. I wrote wild and mundane stories, but they were always fiction. As a child, I didn't want to look directly at my life or my experience. I honestly didn't think it was interesting enough to look at! I didn't lean into the craft of essays until I was in my late 20s and I wish I had added that to my writing arsenal earlier in life. Personal essays aren't for everyone, but I love them. For me, writing personal essays feels like art and therapy and mediation. I want to share this craft with everyone! (But also, please still go to therapy.)
JH: How is a personal essay different from a diary entry?
R: If people are writing full-on personal essays in their diary, wow, I want their schedule. My diary (let's call it a journal from thus forward, I'm a 40-year-old woman)… My journal entries are a place to unleash on a page. I word-vomit funny things that happened or small things I noticed or painful things I experienced or synchronicities I realize. Many times, I'll take a journal entry and turn it into a personal essay. If I become a famous essayist and die and fans go through my many journals expecting more pieces by me, they will be sorely disappointed. My journals are filled with a handful of paragraphs of gold writing that have made their way to the screen. In between those paragraphs are random musings, gratitude lists, tarot readings, and illegible notes of things I wanted to remember but now cannot, because I cannot read my own handwriting.
JH: Can you comment on the vulnerability it takes to share a personal story?
R: Sharing a personal story in itself is an act of vulnerability, but it doesn't mean you have to bear your soul. I believe the more vulnerable you are, the more connections you can make to yourself, your inner-child, and other people. I use vulnerability in so many aspects of my life beyond my writing, because I think vulnerability is a superpower. But in personal essays, the willingness to put something about your life down on paper is already a huge act of vulnerability. You can open up as much as you want from there—wield as much of that superpower as you want.
Quick Hits:
Jam Of The Week: Fred Again.. Skepta, & Plaqueboymax – Victory Lap.
(holy hell this is a bop. so anticipated. so worth it. I listened to it four times in a row and want more.)
A Ring To Remember What Year It Is.
(I love thinking about how it’s the Year of the Snake and we all need to shed some stuff.)This Is A Perfect Checklist.
(speaking of CoJ, my group text made me legit laugh out loud today…I had already bought the pants. from this post.)
Another Great List.
(chase that slow dopamine, girl.)This Account Is Everything.
(thanks for sharing, Drew!)
I Loved This So Much.
(sometimes you have to push yourself.)
(I love him.)
(is this dog me? I never know how to answer what breed dog I am… AM I THIS DOG?? don’t answer that.)
WELL THIS “EASY” POST TOOK LONGER THAN I EXPECTED. Good thing I love y’all to death. And if you enjoy lists of recommendations, may I recommend lists from my favorite essayist?
Okay, you go get that sunshine, you beautiful beast. Summer Solstice is coming!!
xxo,
Rachel.