The Maris Review

CJ Hauser, creative writing professor and author of two novels, discusses the themes explored in her viral essay and how they influenced her decision to write a book. They delve into societal expectations and individualized communication of love and happiness, as well as the process of rewriting personal narratives through essays. The speaker shares their experience of writing about a difficult relationship and their fascination with knights and quests. They also touch on data collection, overlooked contributions, and subverting narrative in storytelling.

Ada Limón is the author of The Hurting Kind, as well as five other collections of poems. These include, most recently, The Carrying, and Bright Dead Things. She’s a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, and her work has appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, and American Poetry Review, among others. She is the new host of American Public Media's weekday poetry podcast The Slowdown. Born and raised in California, she now lives in Lexington, Kentucky.Recommended Reading:Extracting the Stone of Madness by Alejandra PizarnikAll the Flowers Kneeling by Paul TranThe Renunciations by Donika KellyCustoms by Solmaz Sharif Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Isaac Fitzgerald appears frequently on The Today Show and is the author of the bestselling children's book How to Be a Pirate as well as the co-author of Pen & Ink and Knives & Ink (winner of an IACP Award). His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, the Best American Nonrequired Reading, and numerous other publications. He lives in Brooklyn. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elisa Albert is the author of After Birth, The Book of Dahlia, the short story collection How This Night Is Different, and the editor of the anthology Freud's Blind Spot. She lives with her family in upstate New York. Her latest novel is called Human Blues Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TOMI OBARO is an editor at BuzzFeed News. She lives in Brooklyn. Her debut novel is called Dele Weds Destiny.Recommended Reading: Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English by Noor Naga The Sex Lives of African Women by Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marie Myung-Ok Lee is a Korean American writer and author of the young adult novel Finding my Voice, thought to be one of the first contemporary-set Asian American YA novels. She is one of a handful of American journalists who have been granted a visa to North Korea since the Korean War. She’s a founder of the Asian American Writers' Workshop and teaches creative writing at Columbia. She lives in New York City with her family. Her new novel is called Evening Hero. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sloane Crosley is the author of the novel The Clasp and the essay collections Look Alive Out There and the New York Times bestsellers I Was Told There'd Be Cake (a Thurber Prize finalist) and How Did You Get This Number. A frequent contributor to The New York Times, she lives in Manhattan. Her new novel is called Cult Classic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Melissa Chadburn's writing has appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times Book Review, and many other publications. Her extensive reporting on the child welfare system appears in the Netflix docuseries The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez. She is a Ph.D. candidate in Creative Writing at USC and lives in greater Los Angeles. Her debut novel is called A Tiny Upward Shove. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dan Chaon is the author of several previous books, including Ill Will, a national bestseller, named one of the ten best books of 2017 by Publishers Weekly. Other works include the short story collection Stay Awake (2012), a finalist for the Story Prize; the national bestseller Await Your Reply; and Among the Missing, a finalist for the National Book Award. His latest novel is called Sleepwalk.Recommended Reading:Habitats of the World by Phil ChaonMidnight Doorways by Usman MalikThe Candy House by Jennifer Egan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kim Kelly is an independent journalist, author, and organizer. She has been a regular labor columnist for Teen Vogue since 2018, and her writing on labor, class, politics, and culture has appeared in The New Republic, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Baffler, The Nation, the Columbia Journalism Review, and Esquire, among many others. A third-generation union member, she is a member of the Industrial Workers of the World's Freelance Journalists Union as well as a member and elected councilperson for the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE). Her new book is called Fight Like Hell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices