Please tell us who you are and why you wish to study writing at Sarah Lawrence College. 500-1000 words

To whom it may concern:
I am applying for the creative nonfiction graduate program starting in Fall 2019. I’ve just received a Bachelors of Arts with an emphasis in creative writing from The Evergreen State College, and focused my last two years on creative nonfiction.

The Evergreen State College helped shape me into an independent learner. There are no grades: instead faculty write a written evaluation of the students success, growth, and contribution to class. The student is then awarded credit based on the work they’ve done.  At Evergreen, I was introduced to the concept of seminar and interdisciplinary learning. Seminars taught me how important collaboration is to my learning style: we examined various novels, memoirs, short stories, and essays and discussed it through an interdisciplinary approach, allowing me to see things through others perspective and take away a more holistic view.

I enrolled in programs that focused on creative writing with at least one other academic component. These components have included philosophy, psychology, globalization, social justice, Russian literature, and composition and rhetoric. Looking at creative writing through multiple lenses has made my writing more dimensional and able to appeal to more audiences. I’m now an active reader who analyzes books from an interdisciplinary perspective: one who questions media and news reports, books, and my education from multiple points of view.

Since I started reading, I’ve had a passion for the written word. As a child, books were my main form of escape. I went to the library every Sunday with my mother and would pick out a book for each day of the week–a tradition I carried throughout high school. Characters became my best friends, and authors were their parents. I wanted them to like me; I wanted to be like them; I wanted to be them. Inspired by the words of creative nonfiction authors such as Lidia Yuknavitch, Augusten Burroughs, Melissa Broder, and Mary Karr, I decided to put pen to paper to find my voice. I transitioned from reader to writer, and back again. Authors became my teachers, and I wrote daily, wanting to make the authors that I fell in love with proud.

        I want to give that same feeling to a young kid in need of refuge. Someone that needs a little guidance, someone who can use my words to make a home. This led to me pouring my creative energy into writing about my upbringing while enrolled at Evergreen. Working closely with Sandy Yannone, the director of  Evergreen’s Writing Center where I tutored for two years, I began the process of writing a memoir, struggling through over twenty years of witnessing addictions, relationships, and money destroy a family. One of my biggest takeaways from this process is realizing that my words are important: I have the potential to tell a story that changes lives. My intention for graduate school is to focus on telling a story that alters my life, as well as influences others.

Bi-weekly meetings with faculty are ideal and familiar. While working on my memoir, Sandy and I met weekly to discuss my writing. This allowed me to have the space to explore and experiment with my syntax, take intellectual and creative risks, while still being able to showcase and receive advice from a trusted source.

While at Sarah Lawrence, I will take full advantage of being able to work with award winning faculty, such as Jo Ann Beard. Beards collection of essays, Boys of My Youth gave me that same feeling that I’m attempting to evoke in readers. She examines her life, as well as her families, through a critical lens, and I was inspired by her horridly vivid scenes of describing her step-grandfather eating his food: a subject my writing leans toward. With her skills and my potential, as well as the other faculty available to me, I’m ready to turn my memoir into a publishable body of work.

For the past two years I have worked as a tutor at Evergreen’s Writing Center. I was lucky enough to help others with their writing. Helping them find their voice and feel comfortable with their words, made me realize how much I love working with people on their craft. Not only did it influence my own writing, I felt proud, and humbled to be working with such amazing writers. Tutoring helped me realize that I want to teach, so I can be of service to others, as well as myself. While attending Sarah Lawrence, I plan on taking full advantage of the teaching opportunities throughout New York, and the chance to continue tutoring students.

I’m interested in collaborative learning while still creating my own education pathway. I love receiving feedback from my peers, and while in undergrad, I started a writing critique group. I want to continue to collaborate across disciplines, and make writing accessible to all.