The Time is Always, and Never, Right

Hours after writing this, I'll be on a plane to Ohio, to spend a week at Kenyon, for a writing workshop. I was elated when I got accepted, back in March. And for weeks, I've been thinking about it as summer camp, a welcome opportunity to focus on my writing and respite from day-to-day mundanities.

This morning though, I'm feeling all the conflicting emotions that come when you separate from the daily responsibilities of being a conscious citizen and community member. How does one sequester oneself as the country and the world experiences some of its darkest moments?

Photograph by Vanessa Charlot

A new “entry ban” targets Black, Brown and Muslim-majority countries. Los Angelenos protested ICE raids; Trump called in the National Guard to intervene. Israel refuses to let a ship carrying aid to reach Gaza. Children are being allowed to die. Children are being detained. I could go on and on. And equally, I don't know what more to say. For perspectives and truth, follow @ykreborn, @vietthanhnguyen, @mariahinojosa, @julissaarce, @mosababutoha, @raniabatrice, especially on immigration and Palestine.

Pulling away feels wrong, feels selfish. But today, I received this email from the author Brandon Taylor's Substack. And it reminded me of why writing, my writing is important: "all fiction has at bottom a worldview because we are humans and all humans have worldviews." Among my worldviews is the belief that we are all searching for belonging. You better believe that's at the heart of the great immigrant novel I'm trying to write.

It's a complicated week in other ways. The patriarch of our family—my dad's eldest brother—died last week. His decisions shaped the trajectory of our lives, and his death will likely change family dynamics. I will be at Kenyon during his funeral, another reminder that every choice has consequences.

To say that my heart is heavy as I step away from family, community, day to day interaction with the world would be an understatement. Practicing what I preach – prioritizing creativity, exercising boundaries, building for the future even as the present screams for attention – is not easy. That's why it's called practice. That's why we need community, to affirm our intentions, to support our decisions, to hold us close when we flounder. Thank you for being my online and in-person people. Do not look away.

Sayu