Author: Jessie

  • 10 Signs Finals are Coming (MFA Style)

    Jessie

    10) Your professors actually mention that your class has a syllabus and you do have an exam 9) You realize exams are still something you have to deal with 8 )  Your needing coffee is now a socially acceptable complaint 7) Your needing alcohol is now a socially acceptable complaint 6) Your classes are full… Read more

  • Shutdowns

    Jessie

    The Government is shut down. At least that’s what it says on the news. Thanks to all the friends who have asked how I’m doing but as of right now, living in the DC area, the metro is still running and I can get to class. It is not a disaster on a personal level,… Read more

  • Collaboration

    Jessie

    Yesterday a play I wrote received a staged reading.  Something to know about me is I’m a little bit shy.  I write because I love it, but I also find it an easier and more enjoyable form of communication than talking.  However, when working with dramatic writing forms, rather than short fiction or novels, there is… Read more

  • Thinking Tools

    Jessie

    When I write (usually long hand, I type later) I like to have one thing other than a pen and paper.  For those long minutes when I actually have to stop and think between pages about what to do next I need a ball of some kind. Usually I have a baseball or a Spaldeen,… Read more

  • The Second Holiday Season

    Jessie

    “The Holiday Season” usually means December, Hanukkah and Christmas.  But, I feel like spring is its own holiday season, with Passover and Easter always falling close together (the same week this year actually).  My family also has its majority of birthdays in the spring, so that always adds to the celebratory nature at my house.… Read more

  • Women in Fiction

    Jessie

    Yesterday was International Women’s Day.  March is also Read a Book Month.  In honor of both those occasions I’ve compiled a small (and thus incomplete) list of awesome women and girls in fiction.  Who did I miss? In no particular order: 1- Hermione Granger – Harry Potter 2- Katniss Everdeen – The Hunger Games 3- Lyra Belacqua… Read more

  • Interview Skills

    Jessie

    I gave my first in person interview a two weeks ago and today it came out in print. I didn’t say anything terribly embarrassing and I don’t look like a crazy person in the picture, so overall, it was a success. However, I can now honestly say there are few things more terrifying than a… Read more

  • Sequels

    Jessie

    A Sequel to the “The House of the Scorpion”, by Nancy Farmer is going to be a thing! So I’m pretty excited. Never heard of “The House of the Scorpion“? It was a YA science fiction novel from 2002.  It was also my favorite book when I was growing up (outside of the Harry Potter books).  If… Read more

  • To the Moon and Back

    Jessie

    Neil Armstrong died today at 82.  43 years after he landed on the moon, and 19 days after NASA made it back into the news by landing the Curiosity Rover.  Neil wasn’t a fiction writer, but I do believe he was an influence on me, my writing.  My love for science fiction, my obsession with… Read more

  • Curiosity

    Jessie

    So, the Curiosity Rover is safe on Mars now and is already sending back color photographs. That’s pretty cool right? I think so. As a space geek (who would’ve loved to work for NASA except for my unfortunately poor math skills) this is the best news I’ve gotten in ages. Mars was always my favorite… Read more