Hey there!

If you’re like me, your heart has that little ache as the summer winds down. Or maybe you’re that person who already bought a pumpkin spice latte regardless of the fact that you’re still wearing flip flops. Either way, I’m not here to judge. Actually, yes I am, if you’re in the second group you’re a monster...

I joke, I don’t judge. I’m just glad you’re here.

This is my third and final interview about creative courage and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. If you missed last month’s interview with Callie you can catch up here.

Get ready to meet Alie Jones. She is a writer, artist, educator, yoga teacher and self-proclaimed Creole Mermaid based in Oakland, CA. I can’t wait for y'all to read our conversation and learn how Alie addresses the fears of the young writers she teaches, how multiple disciplines inform her process and how she connects courage to care. 

I first met Alie four years ago working as educators. I remember her saying “Hi, I’m Alie Jones, and I’m a writer.” That blew me away. I was just starting to take myself seriously as a writer and I thought…damn this woman is so bold and so clear on who she is. 

I always feel inspired when I’m with her, and I think this interview will do the same for you. If you’re ready, take a deep breath–maybe take a moment to stretch—and then let’s get into it!

CCC: This past year you released your poetry book, Saltwater Moonshine. It’s a stunning book. It’s stunning to look at, it’s stunning to read, I’ve no doubt you’re stunning when you recite it. You also premiered a reading of a play based on it.  For me, what makes your writing compelling is the personal, but do you find there are times where you hesitate to put things out there?

AJ: In poetry, no. Whatever is on my heart is coming out. But now I’m writing a novel and I go back and forth. The personal makes it relatable, it’s what magnetizes people. I'm sitting with that. It does feel vulnerable to have these scenes that are part of my life but I’m writing a fantasy world so I don’t need to reveal what’s real and what’s elaborated.

I’m letting myself play and I’m using other types of art to do that. I made a zine and it’s so cute! I’m just giving myself these little things that I can do and celebrating them and letting the creativity not just be a big book or a big event, it can be little things. It’s like giving myself a lot of little sandboxes to play in. 

CCC: That’s something I really admire about you, you have your hand in a lot of different artistic spaces and modalities. Can you talk more about that?

AJ: Yoga is the other huge component that keeps me afloat. Those spaces where I can experiment with breath and movement and sound are really beautiful. It’s cool to see the way my different worlds converge —writing and pedagogy and art. There was a moment where I didn’t think this was possible and I’m really glad I stayed open to it and built that space for myself. 

CCC: Do you remember why you didn’t think it was possible?

AJ: A lot of people would say that they didn’t believe that all these things—art, yoga, writing—could exist in one. Usually people are looking for hard skills, but what I am doing…I don’t even want to call them soft skills…they are core skills. These things teach us about ourselves and the world and how we connect. But yeah, it was a lot of societal and environmental ideas about what it means to create space. 

CCC: You’re also a professor of writing. When you’re working with young people, what is the biggest obstacle that they face when writing?

AJ: They have a fear of trying. They don’t want to be seen trying something new. Because if you try something new and you’re not good at it then it’s seen as failing. Which doesn’t make sense because it’s new, you’re not supposed to be great! 

Also, a lot of the students are so burnt out and so over it that they don’t care about anybody. So I think part of my job is reminding them to care about themselves and each other. They’re so afraid to fail with their own voice and their own words. 

CCC: How does writing change when we care about ourselves and others?

AJ: Well most students have either never written about themselves or never written about anyone beyond themselves. So I give them prompts to push them past that and it changes their confidence to speak. A prompt I used was ‘write a poem that is a promise to future young people’ and for one student that turned into writing a poem that was a promise to future queer young people. There was a change in the level of commitment. They had so much more to say and the writing evolved. 

CCC: I’m going to start asking myself that. How does my writing change when I'm thinking too much about myself or too much about other people? 

As someone who is always creating in many different ways, do you set goals for projects or do you just go with the flow? 

AJ: It’s a blend. I do this mid-year reflection in August where I look back at my wins and my challenges and then I forecast where I want to go for the rest of the year. It’s almost like a new year's resolution, but I’m just telling myself where I want to go. And there are plans, but other things also come and flow.

CCC: I love that you do it at a different time of year because the calendar year is bullshit and it’s cold in January so who really wants to be motivated.

AJ: Yeah just create a calendar for yourself that ebbs and flows with your own energy.

I also remember that everything I’m doing is writing. My play is connected to my novel and if I sit with those moments they unlock things. If I can get out of the productivity  loop of seeing a word count as an accomplishment then I can be in a rose garden and I’m writing. 

CCC: I love that mindset! Okay, final question, what does creative courage mean to you?

AJ: Lately it’s audacity, having the audacity to do something, to fail, to try, to look silly to just be out there. Creative courage in these moments of hate and destruction and terror and literal crisis–I really do feel like it needs to be love and care and reflection and softness. We need soft places to land as much as we need calls to action.

So creative courage is also pouring back into yourself. Not in the self-care-ignore-the-world way…it’s just like...don’t you burn out trying to tame every fire. You have to reboot too. For me, that’s looked like having the courage to try something different and having the courage to bet on myself—believing even if I’m not sure. 

For this section I’ve decided to take Alie’s advice and look at my wins for the year as well as create a future forecast. It feels extra appropriate since I just celebrated my birthday. I’m 35 and that feels significant for no good reason I can name.

So here are my wins, many of which you’ve been here for and I’m really grateful for that.

And now for a future forecast. I’m truly excited about this because some of it is already set in motion. Next month you’re going to see this letter look a little (a lot!) different. Bold and Bookish is getting a glow up! Stay tuned and keep an eye on my Instagram as well!

Happy end of summer, friends. There’s still time to eat a s’more, walk barefoot on the beach or get a sunburn (Don’t though. Wear some freaking spf like an adult!).

Soak it up and remember to create something. Alie reminds us that it’s time to pour into ourselves. We’ve got a long road ahead.

Much loves,

Cat

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