Hi.
Coffee: Bolivian Medium-Dark, Trader Joe’s Brand
When I drove home the sky had cracked open. That peach-blood sunset, firing up winter one day at a time.
I presented to a middle-school writing club. There were eight of them, mostly girls. I was glad for that because the world’s already heard a lot stories written by men.
They were a sharp group, wrapped up in coats and jackets and pencils and papers, that odd time in December when you’re halfway between break and school. We practiced some things, I read a story, they asked questions. Afterward, I gave them all print-outs of lit journals that accept work by kids or pre-teens because the one thing I always wish I’d had as a young writer was some sort of guidance for where to put my work.
But I’ll say again, the kids were sharp.
It’s a cheesy line, but there’s hope in kids. It’s not that they see the world any brighter – from the time I’ve spent teaching, it’s clear that kids are often facing the darkest corners of the world’s closet – but that they haven’t narrowed their options for how to deal with the dark. It’s just as real to bite the apple as it is to throw it; no one use, no one route to peace and love and success and joy; and that to me is all hope amounts to, a not giving in to simple despairs.
It was good to work with the kids. I hope I gave them something. I know they imparted a bit on me.
Novel Count: 15,580 words
Currently Reading: Autumn, Ali Smith; Cherry, Nico Walker
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Adults constantly raise the bar on smart children, precisely because they’re able to handle it. The children get overwhelmed by the tasks in front of them and gradually lose the sort of openness and sense of accomplishment they innately have. When they’re treated like that, children start to crawl inside a shell and keep everything inside. It takes a lot of time and effort to get them to open up again. Kids’ hearts are malleable, but once they gel it’s hard to get them back the way they were.
Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore
Livesay Writing 
Thanks so much for sharing with the club. You writing was inspiring to all of us. I look forward to everything that they will create these next two months. They are such a great group of students.
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