nonfiction writing – dara t. mathis

#Blogging201 and the case of the misplaced brand

So, um, hi. Like the title on the site says, I’m Dara.

On Rejection, Determination, and Wrecking Balls

Today I was rejected from a workshop I applied to and I can feel that familiar hurt folding me into someone a little less bold. For years, I let rejection (and the fear of it) reduce me into rubble, crumbling any determination I would build into so much detritus. But not again. Not this time.Continue reading “On Rejection, Determination, and Wrecking Balls”

Love Letter to Black Women

This is a love letter to Black women, my sisters. I have never loved anyone quite as hard as I have loved you. This is not to say that I have not loved others well or loved them deeply, because I have. But loving you is hardness, requiring the density of commitment fortified by an enamelContinue reading “Love Letter to Black Women”

5 Things I Learned From Failing NaNoWriMo

I never expected to fail National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) so spectacularly, but here we are, 21 days into November, and I have about 500 of 50,000 words written. Yes. The failure is that great. Sure, we have nine days left in the month; there’s still time! But no, it’s not happening, and I knowContinue reading “5 Things I Learned From Failing NaNoWriMo”

Parkinson’s: Stealing from Grandma

I began stealing from my grandma three years ago. When I realized that one day I would not be able to wake up and find her sitting in the kitchen, watching a 13-inch black-and-white television, I needed something concrete. I needed something tangible to slow the slide of time that had pushed, like a looseContinue reading “Parkinson’s: Stealing from Grandma”