ON LEAVING & RETURNING: WRITING THE BODY HOME - Thankful to @Westport Library for Having Me Back for StoryFest (& the Perfect Panel to Host)

I returned to StoryFest yesterday for additional panels, including On Leaving & Returning: Writing the Body Home with authors Mitzy Sky, Sonya Huber, Oliver Radclyffe, Namrata Patel, and Sidik Fofana. One writes poetry to escape abuse from her passed, including labels she never deserve, another writes about missing an identity, an in-between space of an Indian family, without necessarily in the home culture within her. There was stories of midwestern families and understanding the self, while a short story writer explored the narratives of a single apartment complex. Finally, the 5th carries home in his heart because it isn't what it used to be and it isn't quite here, but as a British woman with two kids who has crossed to a man with a new life in Connecticut, he was a hit of the day. It's the accent. Actually, it's the remarkable wisdom and honesty. My favorite question asked was,

My colleague, Dr. Gholdy Muhammad, writes in Unearthing Joy that young people, writers, and educators need to do as Dr. Yolanda Sealey Ruiz suggests - an archaeological dig of their histories and stories, to find purpose, happiness, and genius within themselves. She writes, “Identity is composed of notions of who we are, who others say we are (in both positive and negative ways), and whom we desire to be…there’s a complex and dynamic dance among the three toward identity development throughout our lives.” This makes me think of the brilliant contributions made in Voice First by panelist Sonya Huber and how each of us operate with multiple voices, most often simultaneously. Sonya, would you share some of the voices influencing the human you are and also, I welcome fellow panelists to discuss the voices that live within their worlds as writers and human beings. 

The conversation quickly went to the intersection of how voice, identity, and home intersect and we are always something of what used to be (or how we define it in our heads). I know the library recorded the entire thing and even if I don't want to see myself interviewing others (looking like a middle-aged walrus), I wouldn't mind taking the content and expertise as notes for my own writing.

Okay, Sunday, of course I have to work and I'm obligated to on-campus items, but I really want to avoid my brain for 24 hours. I just want an alternative to the chaos of always having to think, write, be on my toes, grade, and lead. I want to float in a pool (that's what walruses do).

Here's to your Sunday. Here's to my own.