Click Links To Download Erin Jourdan Berrios Resume 2020 Erin Jourdan Berrios Cover Letter Erin Jourdan Berrios 9_2020_Portfolio … [Read more...]
Audio Personal Essay: Should I be sitting down?
Try this writing prompt: Look at one of the most harrowing experiences that have happened in your life from three different perspectives. I chose to write about the cancer I had in 2007. I picked the perspective of myself at the gynecologist, visiting a spiritual "medical intuitive" and watching the surgery performed on someone else via YouTube. I was fortunate to be able to read this piece recently at a literary salon and it inspired me to try to record it. Using just the simple tools on a Mac and uploading the file to Soundcloud allows you to create an audio essay that anyone can listen … [Read more...]
Writing Into the Mundane and Discovering Ourselves
I hear this voice all the time. No one is going to want to read this....it sounds...too personal, too unprofessional, like nothing I've read in the pages of the New Yorker. I am here to tell you that sometimes it sounds crazy. Sometimes it is rough around the edges, gap-toothed and feral. Writing that is batshit bananas is on to something - something new, perhaps honing into your own style, unique voice, and personal experience. I was recently circling something in my life and trying to figure out why it made me so *incredibly* emotional. I have always said, if trouble shows up on my … [Read more...]
Gentle Writing During Times of Change
I just couldn’t move on. I have always considered myself a compulsive journal keeper. I've been writing since pre-puberty somewhere between a few times a week - to one big end of the week catch up. Months have gone by this past year as I stare at the end of my turquoise Moleskine and I just wanted to get to that last page and have it be over. But I couldn’t – it felt like my brain wasn’t working in the same way. I suddenly was scared of my past. I was scared of memories, photos, and mementos setting me off. I now think I was in a deep protective mode – I had no interest in the past because … [Read more...]
Writing With Triggers and Trauma
(Re) Considering Trauma In my new day job, I work tangentially with people in drug and alcohol recovery. I say “tangentially” because I do marketing and am not a therapist, but being around it starts to seep in. Most of us have either had some sort of trauma or have known someone close to us who has an addiction problem. One thing about trauma is that once you start to see it or recognize it in other people you begin to see it in yourself. Looking through the lens of trauma puts your own in focus. Most people have trauma – it is very hard to get through your life without an accident, … [Read more...]
Why Personal Essays are Important in the ‘Age of Trump’
How can we build trust and empathy in society in order to practice respect for all people? I am a teacher focused on helping writers communicate their personal truth. I am deeply concerned about the current administration’s support of “alternative facts” and “fake news.” I believe there is a pathology in America right now that uses self-deception, lying and deceit as a winning tactic. Over and over I’ve watched ignorant people get the attention they crave by saying outlandish and disturbing things. Last year a popular rapper made news by stating his belief that the world is flat. Republican … [Read more...]
10 Books to Inspire Your Personal Maps
As a personal mapping enthusiast, I have been collecting books that inspire me to keep drawing detailed pictures, even though I would not consider myself a visual artist. The pen to paper, having no idea what forms will come out, thrills me. It is pure emotional drawing....much like we did when we were children. The colors, shapes, images and words all come from a very deep and personal place. It feels good to have an intimate map of my internal state - it gives me a release and it is a "visual aid." I have explained my pictures to friends and suddenly we have a glimmer of understanding and … [Read more...]
Why Essays are the Perfect Way to Improve Your Writing Skills
Whether you are applying for a school program or looking to get published online here are some of my best tips for using essays to improve your writing skills. Finding your story. Everyone has a story, no matter where you are from or how old you are. To identify what makes you unique take a deep look at the details of your prospective story. An example: Instead of being sporty in high school you were a debater. Ask yourself the 5 questions: Who is in the story - write character descriptions of each of the people from memory. Getting stuck? Try to dig out material such as letters, … [Read more...]
Orienteering Your Life With Personal Maps
The lyrics from the song Once in a Lifetime from the Talking Heads plays in my head sometimes: And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack/ And you may find yourself in another part of the world/ And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile/ And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife/ And you may ask yourself, "Well... how did I get here?" There have been quite a few periods of drastic change in my life. You look up, the dust has settled, and you wonder, where does this leave me? Where do I go now? What are my new, and bigger dreams? … [Read more...]
Inspiring Writing Prompts for Self-Care
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” ― Audre Lorde Writing is a way for me to hit the "refresh" button. To wring myself out when I feel like a crumpled rag or just get my feelings out in one long diatribe (that no one will ever need to see). I have definitely been through difficult times when I began to wonder if anything made me feel calm and at ease. Whether it was local trouble - seeing the homeless line the freeway underpasses here in Los Angeles and the pain of knowing how unkind society can be. Violence on the news … [Read more...]
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