Heather Sellers Studio News

This time of year means more inside time and I’ve been trying to practice what I preach: reading, writing every day, and keeping a daily diary.

Fall harvest: Longreads reprinted my Creative Nonfiction True Stories essay on the relationship between prosopagnosia and wayfinding challenges. Also, I have a new essay in Eat Joy: Stories & Comfort Food from 31 Celebrated Writers.

We post teaching, writing and event updates regularly on my website and Facebook page. Allyson Hoffman, a Hope College grad with a University of South Florida MFA, helps manage all things digital. She currently teaches and writes on a Fulbright grant in Norway. Thanks, Allyson!

Allyson recently interviewed me. Here's an excerpt from our conversation.

About Writing

Allyson Hoffman: The new year is a time when people take on resolutions: write more, read more…how would you advise we start that practice now? How do we keep that practice?

Heather Sellers: You might play with two strategies: time card and scale. Some writers set a gentle goal—five hours a week, perhaps—and they keep track of their hours each week on a time card. Hire yourself: just like a real job. Other writers need a page count—to weigh in with five pages a week or 500 words a day. I think both practices are generative and friendly. Obviously, writing requires some self-discipline.

I rely on writing partners. We set up our sequence of deadlines for the season and while I am sure I’ve needed an extension at some point, I can’t remember ever missing a deadline. The deadline is my lifeline. In truth, all I want to do is to be at the desk, writing. It’s a privilege and a joy, not a burden or a dread.

My reading nest in Michigan, a cabin just off Joy Road.

AH: What does your reading space look like?

HS: The tub. The bed. The sofa. The train. The parking lot. The waiting room. Reading is always with me. This year, I’m trying to stay off screens in the evening (to help with insomnia—I think it’s making a significant difference) and reading in the evening is once again my deepest pleasure.

AH: Who are you reading? What are you learning from them?

HS: I’m reading the Best American Poetry 2019, the Best American Short Stories 2019, the Best American Essays 2019 and new poetry by Jericho Brown and Reginald Betts. I loved loved loved City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert—it’s powerful, relevant, and un-putdownable. And I’m slow-reading The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison with my reading partner.

Upcoming Workshop

The 2020 “Introduction to the Practice of Creative Writing” workshop at Kripalu–open to all—is June 28 through July 3. I hope you will join us.

View from Kripalu in the beautiful Berkshires

Sabbatical = Sabbath

This year, I’m on sabbatical from teaching at the university. I miss my students and preparing classes, of course. I miss my colleagues and our laughter. On retreat, I seek to use the time to learn new things to teach and better methods for teaching today’s students. It’s a year of reverence—for creativity, for solitude—and a year of devotion—to reading and reflection.

Keep in touch.
Life's short.
Write joy.

Love H