In this episode, you’ll hear Mentor Tracy Morin, a magazine writer and editor, talk with Mentee Ava Fung, a high schooler from New York City, about her humorous non-fiction piece, “Toothache.”
Speaking on Brushing Up on Your Comedy (Literally)
Memoir & Personal Essay
Speaking on Being ‘Virus Overachievers’
In the very first episode of “Speaking In First Draft,” host Kathryn Destin interviews Mentor Martina Clark about the first draft of her memoir and audiobook “My Unexpected Life: an international memoir of two pandemics, HIV and COVID-19.”
Dear You
Dear You By Julia Mercado Dear You, You are the one who never washed your hair, wore the same sweater every day and smiled wide with blue braces. You are…
Love Me, Lucky!
Though my dog brings great joy into my life, we have the ultimate incompatibility: different love languages. This piece is about the frustration of trying to cuddle with him and learning to accept our differences.
The Lessons of KuGong
An encounter with an old Chinese grandmother during a hot summer day shoveling compost in Brooklyn.
The Bargains We Make
What sacrifices did we make during the pandemic to sustain our parental relationships? What kind of person have you become since then?
18
Being 18 and wanting to run away from all that you know.
My Mother, Laura
The art of caretaking.
Li’s Kitchen
Growing up as a daughter of resturant owners, I explore the shame of not having parents that could dedicate their time to me and the realization of the sacrifices they made for my happiness.
I Don’t Listen to BTS
This personal essay is a core memory of Summer 2019.
Conversations
I am shy. I don’t seem like the shy type with my friends because I’m the loud one. But when I talk to someone who doesn’t know how I tick, I act like I’m listening while I am melting inside.
Sunday, 04:17 PM
This piece is at heart a study of me, a view from inside my room and inside my mind.
Two Worlds, One Home
A reflection of cultural identity through the lens of a first-generation, Chinese-American girl.
Chinese Braised Beef Soup
This is what the process of making hong shao niu rou tang, or chinese braised beef soup, means to me.
I am an Elite Athlete
My piece is about the GWN + NBCU Train Your Brain: Think Like an Elite Athlete workshop. This piece is a personal work on how I applied the elite athlete mentality to my career.