“I try to convey what it feels like and sounds like and smells like and looks like inside of my particular skin, to move through the world as a black American woman in her mid-twenties.” WorldFeelsTryingLooksMovingSoundBlackParticularSkinsTwentiesSmellAmerican Woman Author:Morgan Parker
“I spent a lot of time trying to layer upon layer upon layer as I wrote. I think that's often the fear of a writer, that little nuances won't get picked up.” ThinkingTryingLittlesLayersNuance Author:Morgan Parker
“I struggle with depression and anxiety, and I have since I was a teenager. I spent a good chunk of time being very ashamed of that. Now I feel committed to talking about it and trying to normalize it as much as I can.” FeelsTryingI CanTalkingStruggleAnxietyCommittedTeenagerAshamedChunksDepression And Anxiety Author:Morgan Parker
“So much of my writing process is trying to eliminate any kind of shame or fear of the thoughts that I'm having.” WritingTryingKindProcessShameWriting Process Author:Morgan Parker
“In my experience when I do try to avoid something, it makes its way into the work anyway. To be in front of it and just make friends with it is easier for me.” WayTryingFrontsEasier Author:Morgan Parker
“Sometimes I feel as though I'm trying to take a hit for the team so that other people then can move forward. I'm like, "Look, I just laid out all of my stuff, so what's the worst that can happen?".” PeopleFeelsTryingLooksSometimesHappensMovingStuffTeamWorstMoving Forward Author:Morgan Parker
“Since the election [of Donald Trump], I've been thinking about a lot of theory. Lots of [Michel] Foucault and [Karl] Marx, thinking about different systems, thinking about power. Trying to figure out what I can take and learn from history as a tool for getting through whatever is happening right now, which feels very significant and major.” ThinkingFeelsTryingI CanDifferentFiguresTheoryTrumpRight NowMajorsHappeningsToolsElectionSignificantSystems Thinking Author:Morgan Parker
“I always say that my artist statement is to not be afraid to talk about the messiness - the unpleasant feelings and happenings around my life. I also try to convey what it feels like and sounds like and smells like and looks like inside of my particular skin, to move through the world as a black American woman in her mid-twenties. Language from songs and TV shows feel integral because it helps to create the environment and describe the full picture.” WorldFeelsTryingLooksHelpingShowsFeelingsMovingArtistSongLanguageSoundBlackEnvironmentParticularTvsHappeningsSkinsTwentiesSmellStatementsTv ShowsAmerican WomanMessiness Author:Morgan Parker
“So much of my writing process is trying to eliminate any kind of shame or fear of the thoughts that I'm having. Where I would usually backspace, I stop and say, "You know what? This is important, that I say how I feel and don't sugarcoat it, and don't avoid it." In my experience when I do try to avoid something, it makes its way into the work anyway. To be in front of it and just make friends with it is easier for me.” WritingTryingKindImportantShameWriting Process Author:Morgan Parker
“After a while, being so honest and so vulnerable on the page ends up affecting my own kind of self possession in the world, because I am not afraid of myself and my own thoughts. I think so much of being a woman, of being a social being, of being polite, is quieting those thoughts. There's so much we try not to say as we go through the day. There's a lot of tempering and self-editing. It is a relief to make writing that space where I don't need to do that.” ThinkingWorldWritingTryingKindHonestPossessionVulnerableNot AfraidPoliteBeing Polite Author:Morgan Parker
“I don't claim to say, "All black women are like me," because they're not. One type of black woman can exist, but also another kind can exist. I also really hope that people feel permission to talk about their own troubles, but also to celebrate themselves. Sometimes I feel as though I'm trying to take a hit for the team so that other people then can move forward. I'm like, "Look, I just laid out all of my stuff, so what's the worst that can happen"?” PeopleTryingKindSometimesMovingBlackTroubleTeamWorstMoving ForwardCelebrateBlack Women Author:Morgan Parker
