Change, When It Comes, Cracks

I Tell My Students You Have An Absolute Right To Write About People You Know And Love. You Do. But The Kicker Is You Have A Responsibility To Make The Characters Large Enough That You Will Not Have Sinned Against Them.

Hunger Makes You Restless. You Dream About Food - Not Just Any Food, But Perfect Food, The Best Food, Magical Meals, Famous And Awe-inspiring, The One Piece Of Meat, The Exact Taste Of Buttery Corn, Tomatoes So Ripe They Split And Sweeten The Air, Beans So Crisp They Snap Between The Teeth, Gravy Like Mother's Milk Singing To Your Bloodstream.

People Begin To Write In Order To Create What They Have Not Found And, A Little Bit, To Give Something Back.

I Fell Into Shame Like A Suicide Throws Herself Into A River. (253)

Writing Is The Only Way I Know To Demand Justice From An Uncaring Universe.