Miranda K. Pennington has completed a book about her lifelong habit of over-identifying with the Brontës and is represented by the Julia Lord Literary Agency. She teaches academic and creative writing at various adjunct-employing institutions, including Columbia University, where she obtained her MFA. Her writing has appeared on the Ploughshares Blog, The American Scholar Online, and The Catapult podcast.
While there was plenty I could learn from Anne Shirley or Harriet the Spy, I always longed to read about an actual tomboy like me – no long braids, no puffed sleeves, no growing up into a swan after an ugly duckling childhood. As a young reader, I always wanted a role model who didn’t grow out of her awkward phrase, who didn’t eventually find that it all just fell into place – because I…
Rest up. The same way an athlete stretches her muscles, we must prepare our faculties for partygoing. Some may prefer a dark room with no external stimuli, or a sunny quiet field. Others, a secluded shower stall where nobody can hear you crying. Others, a drink or three. I used up all my drink tickets by the time I turned 22, so I’ve had to develop other skills. Find the psychic home…
