I can’t believe I met Busy Philipps! I’ve been a big fan since Dawson’s Creek and I was so excited to see her at Just for Laughs.
Browsing Tag
Simon & Schuster
When I was in high school, I wanted to be like Peyton Sawyer on One Tree Hill. Peyton loved listening to music and working with artists. Peyton was a fan of Tegan and Sara and so was I. 10 years later, my dreams came true. I met Tegan and Sara in person! In the last month, I went to their book signing, read their memoir and attended their concert.
While following Hannah Orenstein on social media, I’ve watched her become a published author, in a totally non-creepy way. Once I received an advance copy of her second novel, Love At First Like, I finally understood her success. It’s because her writing is incredible. Unfortunately, it took me a long time to truly get it because I’ve spent too much time on Instagram and not enough time reading books.
Now Hannah has a new novel about how Instagram has changed our society, so it’s perfect for me! Love At First Like gives new meaning to “doing it for the ‘gram”.
In her opening letter, Jennifer shares her wish that this book will help her become more relatable to readers. She immediately accomplishes that goal on the first page of the first story when she describes her outfit that includes UGG boots. Jennifer Weiner is anything but basic though. She’s a talented, opinionated and friendly author who has overcome personal issues and handled negative reviews.
Jennifer was a gifted student and skipped a grade. It was upsetting to read about how when her dad got mad, he sometimes tore up her books. Of course, she has always been an avid reader. Her mother and Nanna love telling a story about how Jennifer lost her shoes at camp, but never lost a book.
Name: Kelsey Miller
Best Known For: Big Girl: How I Gave Up Dieting And Got A Life (2016)
Education: Film & Television, Boston University
Employment: Senior Features Writer, Refinery29
Professional role models: David Sedaris & Tina Fey
How did spending years in therapy help you write a memoir?
The work I did (and still do) in therapy enabled me to grow up and live my life, without which there would be no memoir. I also never would have been able to write about my problems and difficulties without first sorting through them and working my ass off so that they weren’t the controlling force of my life. It’s a lot more complicated than this, but the short version is that I went into therapy feeling like one big problem — I was composed of trauma and disorder and dysfunctional experiences. Therapy doesn’t erase those things but it helped me realize that I’m not simply the sum total of my [problems]. Those things are in me and a part of me, but I don’t have to sit around and wait to be fixed and perfect in order to move forward with my life. I always thought you had to be All Better with a capital B in order to write a reflective memoir. Nope. You just get on with your life and your goals, issues or not.
Do you think your theatre training has helped you become a better storyteller?
Man, I sure hope so. I’d like to think my parents’ investment in a decade’s worth of theatre training paid off somehow. I’d always enjoyed storytelling and have huge admiration for good storytellers. (My mom and dad are both incredibly funny and I used to wish I could crack up a dinner table the way they could.) I haven’t done theatre in ages, but there are certain lessons that will always be with me: finding your intention in a scene, showing and not telling, etc. Those are all good instincts for writers as well.