.WRITERS.ON.WRITING..Writers.on.Writing.
Get to know our authors, the foundation and heart of Yellow Arrow Journal, and what writing means to them through our monthly series.
.W.o.W. #30
Melissa Nunez
What does your inner writing voice tell you?
Don’t stop. Your words matter.
As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
A coyote: adapt, persevere, survive.
What is your writing Kryptonite? Your most interesting writing quirk?
Lack of sleep and stressful days are very problematic for me as a writer. I am unable to focus and connect with my creative energy. I also get very obsessive with the words I use, especially in my shorter works. I will go through my pieces and highlight words and phrases I’m not convinced are the best fit and make a list of alternatives. I will have my writing friends work through these with me until I feel good about each one.
Melissa contributed her nonfiction piece “What is Mine” to Yellow Arrow Journal’s Vol. VI, No. 1 issue on RENASCENCE. And most recently, Melissa wrote “Alight,” which was included in EMERGE: Coming Into View. Both publications are available in the Yellow Arrow bookstore. You can find her prerecorded reading of “Alight” on Yellow Arrow’s YouTube channel.
Melissa also has a flash essay, “Je Vois la Vie en Rose,” that came out in Issue 7 of the online magazine eucalyptus & rose. Her essay, “Silent,” is forthcoming in Issue 21 of Minerva Rising.
.Writers.on.Writing.
Get to know our authors, the foundation and heart of Yellow Arrow Journal, and what writing means to them through our monthly series.
.W.o.W. #26
Leah Myers
Describe an early experience where you learned that language has power.
When I was in first grade, my teacher tried to shame the class into calming down by saying, “You’re all acting like a bunch of wild Indians!” I burst into tears almost instantly. It is the earliest, clearest memory of learning that words have power because of how I felt, even if the teacher never intended to insult me.
What word(s) do you find yourself using most often in your writing?
My latest project is centered around race and culture, so “Native,” “blood,” and “tribe” are all pretty high-frequency. Thematically, I write about teeth a lot, both in fiction and nonfiction; the primal qualities teeth can show are very interesting to me.
What does your inner writing voice tell you?
As a nonfiction writer, my inner voice tells me to write my truth, regardless of how others may judge me. I have written my story and the stories of my family members in how they connect to me and affect my life, and I know that I do not always look like the hero. I know I’m sometimes the coward or the villain. I know some family members would prefer I only tell half-truths, that I cover up the troubles that we have faced in our history. My inner writing voice knows that I can’t hold back. It has to be the entire truth, bare and unflinching, or it isn’t the best it can be.
Leah is a member of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe. Pick up a copy of RENASCENCE (Yellow Arrow Journal, Vol. VI, No. 1) today to learn more about Leah’s relationship with her tribe’s language in her creative nonfiction piece, “A Writer Who Can’t Read.” Leah recently graduated with an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from the University of New Orleans, where she was awarded the Mockbee Prize for Nonfiction two years in a row.
Connect with Leah at leahmyers.com or on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or below in the Comments.
.Writers.on.Writing.
Get to know our authors, the foundation and heart of Yellow Arrow Journal, and what writing means to them through our monthly series.
.W.o.W. #25
Kathy Z. Price
Describe an early experience where you learned that language has power.
As a young child, my mother read The Owl and the Pussycat—and to this day I can hear
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
But as a youngster, maybe 10 years old, I was shaken to the very core with “Great Pax Whitie” by Nikki Giovanni (you can find a version on YouTube here). My aunt would go around the house declaring
Ain’t they got no shame—nah, they ain’t got no shame
What word do you find yourself using most often in your writing?
Black.
What does your inner writing voice tell you?
Trust yourself.
Kathy Z. Price is one of Yellow Arrow’s incredible RENASCENCE (Yellow Arrow Journal, Vol. VI, No. 1) authors. She has a picture book, Mardi Gras Almost Didn’t Come This Year, coming out in January 2022 and is currently working on a memoir. Find Kathy on Twitter (@KathyZPrice or k_obia) and Instagram.
And join us for Renascence: A Reading on June 4 at 7:00 pm EST. Kathy will read a portion of her RENASCENCE piece “For Keeps” along with several other issue contributors. Find out more here.