Parent, grad student, writer. I write stories about Asian American women, their parents, and their children.
Sticking the landing
This MonthI moved myself in, moved L in, started him in 3rd grade, started myself in 19th grade (OUCH lol), got my Ohio driver's license, tags, and registration, signed up for library cards, found my critical mass of 5-6 local mom friends from a delightful spectrum of past life stages, cooked a bunch of tasty food, started working on one of my book projects again, hiked and paddleboarded and found fossils, and went to Meijer, Costco, and Trader Joe's more times than strictly necessary. I am happier than I can remember being in my adult life. Here's a line I'm proud of that I wrote this week in draft 2 of Just One Date: They stood facing each other in the doorway, neither able to move forward without the other stepping aside. That is all. RFS (Request for Suggestions)Do I keep writing this newsletter? I have accepted that getting a query-able manuscript and biking 36 miles are not happening this year, and frankly I'm totally fine with that because I've gotten everything else I wanted. (See above.) Does anyone want to just hear me yap about my life, or is that what Instagram is for? Let me know what you think! What I'm ReadingLet's be friends on Storygraph, the non-Amazon version of Goodreads that comes WITH CHARTS ABOUT BOOKS! I forgot to yell about Throwback by Maurene Goo, who always puts out YA bangers but this one had a depth that I feel like her previous books haven't reached. Freaky Friday mother-daughter homecoming queen story if you're into that sort of thing. I read The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down for school. It's about a Hmong child with intractable epilepsy in the late 1980s and the conflicting beliefs and practices of her family and the doctors trying to treat her. Not a light read but an enlightening one. The Library of Borrowed Hearts is exactly the type of "falling in love through notes written in the pages of a book" plus found family plus just the right amount of grumpy sunshine romance that isn't just a romance book that I like. The writing wasn't the best but I do not care lol. Now I am reading The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling and realizing that I truly just need to figure out how to write cute lower-stakes YA and my publishing career would be set. AcknowledgementsI'm drafting the acknowledgements section of my book little by little every week. Thank you especially to Claire who unpacked my business casual wardrobe and picked up Trader Joe's for me on my first day here and is the fun-sized little sister I now have. |
Jennifer Duann
Parent, grad student, writer. I write stories about Asian American women, their parents, and their children.
Since my last email I have... (because a regular cadence is clearly not a realistic expectation lol) Presented my master's thesis, submitted it for publication, and got it sent out for review Finished crucible semester with a 4.0 GPA (SURELY IT GETS SIMPLER FROM HERE?????? spoiler alert...keep reading lmao) Subbed at L's school a couple times, including field day because I have a complex about being an involved mother, don't worry about it, hey at least I got paid Gone on 4 dates with 2...
HOLY GUACAMOLE it has been 3 months since my last email, WHOOPSIE-DO This semester has been TOUGH on nearly every front: school, social, (co)parenting, physical and mental health. But, now it is April. The seasons have turned, the earth has warmed, the sun has re-emerged, the plants are greening and blooming, and I am feeling rather the same. Today is also genetic counseling Match Day, which I think may always be my personal declaration of independence day. Two Match Days ago I began the...
Last week the Cincinnati area had way too much snow and not nearly enough school days in session. Our apartment management team did a great job of clearing the streets and a kind neighbor even dug my car out for me, so I didn't have to lift a finger for snow removal! But it did make me think of something I learned shoveling the driveway a few years ago in Bloomington. It was one of those storms where an inch or more of snow fell every hour. At some point someone (a neighbor, perhaps)...