Yes, I can!
My last blog post was written at the precipice of a lot of travel, changes, obligations, and general activity. At the end of the post, I said, “I can do it!… Right?”
Dani from the future is here to answer that question. Yes, I can do it! But being able to do something doesn’t mean it’s fun or easy. Because let me tell you— it was rarely those two things.
From early September ‘til now, I read anywhere from 28-40 pages and wrote something every weeknight for my MFA mentorship. This was always done in the evening after I got home from teaching 8th grade English full-time to an underserved population, which means there were (and are) a lot of behavior issues I’ve had to deal with every day (e.g. incessant talking and moving, me being cussed out, students hitting other students, students carrying paraphernalia, etcetera).
And really, if my full-time job was less taxing, I imagine the work for my MFA would not exhaust me as much. I’ve had about 2-3 hours of free-time on weeknights depending on the day, but I rarely use it because I just want to sleep. Actually, I went to bed at 8 pm last night, and it was a Saturday. So much for playing games with my friends. All I could bring myself to do was pass out.
To be real, even this is an obligation I made for myself. I have “write a blog post” as a task set for every few months. Unfortunately, I know that as long as I’m doing so much while on two SSRIs and one antipsychotic, I’ll never be able to write enough to monetize my blog. Plus, I have the feeling that my content which consists mostly of online-venting is not that competitive with actual useful information pertaining to the writing life or otherwise.
Currently, I have a direction, but I do not know if I’ll be able to get to my destination. I do not want to teach K-12 for another year. I want to either be on a tenure track or work in higher education to some capacity, or I’d like to be a full-time editor or a similar position for a publishing company. Connections certainly matter, which is why I will be at AWP 2025 (and if you’re reading this, I’d love to meet you there!) to hopefully promote my hybrid manuscript-in-progress and generally have a good time around other writers.
So here is my pitch: I will matriculate with my MFA in CW-Poetry next August and I want to work in a position that’s right for me which is not the current position I am in. I need to be around others who care about academics, or around other writers and editors. I want to make a positive difference through these means. I want the opportunity to travel! I know remote work is so desirable and therefore competitive, but that would certainly be ideal. I would love to be able to work from a coffee shop, or from another state, or even another country. But in-person or hybrid work is not a deal breaker.
For those who are reading this, thank you, and if you or anyone you know could connect me with the right people or put me on the right path toward my ideal career, I would so appreciate it! I work hard and want to love what I do. I know that it’s possible.
Until next time, indeed.
