Writers and other artists need to find our tribes. We tend to talk about that need a lot. We seek one another out in order to bolster our resolve. Conferences and literary festivals can be vital shots in the arm, meant to strengthen us when we return to our everyday lives. Those high-spirited events have renewed my energy and sense of purpose time and again. No matter how often I find myself surrounded by other writers, the sense of luck never diminishes. But luckier still are writers who have found day-in, day-out good medicine from likeminded peers. Allies who are able to sneak past the distractions of ego and competition, in order to support one another in their ambitions for their creative work.
In 2011, I got that lucky, when I met members of New Orleans’ Peauxdunque Writers Alliance. Not only did I find friends who possess an uncanny ability to reset my spirits if I’ve wandered off the path, and true peers whose talents and points of view I respect, but I also fell hard for New Orleans—a city that showed up when I needed her. If we’re in it for the long haul with our creative lives, we must leave open a lot of room for surprise. Surprise keeps our vision fresh and helps us cultivate greater receptivity.
In 2019, Peauxdunque took its next step and launched a new literary journal, Peauxdunque Review. I’m thrilled to be serving as Fiction Editor. You can check out our journal at the Peauxdunque Review website. If you write, consider sending us your work!
To read more about the Peauxdunque Writers Alliance—our members, our smokin’ ethos, and our recent shenanigans—you can check us out here: http://peauxdunque.com
Emily Choate | writer 