This week’s episode goes behind the prose of Sharisse Tracey, a fellow New School Creative Writing Program alum. Sharisse recorded this show in the middle of one of her best writing weeks ever! If you’re not on the email newsletter – why not? – here’s a reminder of why that week in early October was so amazing. (And I do mean amazing. Listen to the show and you’ll get it.)

In an email, Sharisse wrote:

“Last week was the best week of my writing career. I published four pieces back to back starting with the Salon piece. Over the next three days Yahoo Parenting ran three pieces of mine for their #NoShameParenting series. Then, on Friday while I was happily fooling around on Twitter I see my own words. The New York Times had posted my piece from July, An Adult Stepson Moves Back In. And then I get a mention later that night that The NY Times editor has shared my Ebony.com piece from January, Don’t Read The Comments talking about some of the racist comments I read while participating in a Cut.com video talking to kids about sex. So, yeah, last week was bananas!”

I enjoyed talking to Sharisse because her excitement about writing is infectious. I wanted some of her go-get-em pitch-a-palooza attitude to rub off on me.

I wish I’d dug deeper into why she said she loves pitching, but I’m sure she’ll be back on a future episode very soon, so I’ll promise I’ll ask her then.

Once you hear the interview, you’ll be convinced she’ll be back on the BTP faster than you can say accepted.

In this interview, you’ll also hear about:

• Why she chose to get an MFA
• Six Degrees of Susan Shapiro Strikes Again
• How to write a cover letter to an editor
• Using emotions to fuel your drafting process
• The coolest rejection letter I ever got

Listen below or on iTunes, learn, and write.

**Transcripts have been suspended until further notice.**

Show Links
“My mother let him rape me — then stayed married to my dad” by Sharisse Tracey on Salon.com

“My Kids Might Not Remember Receiving Public Assistance, but I Do” by Sharisse Tracey on Yahoo! Parenting

“My Son Is The ‘Problem Child’” by Sharisse Tracey on Yahoo Parenting

“A Military Mom Goes Back to School” by Sharisse Tracey on The New York Times

Sharisse Tracey’s clips on Contently

Follow her on Twitter: @SharisseTracey

ABOUT SHARISSE TRACEY
Sharisse Tracey is an Army wife, mother of four, writer and educator. Her work has appeared in Salon, The Los Angeles Review and at The New York Times, Essence, Ebony, sheknows, and xojane, Yahoo, The Washington Post and is forthcoming in Dame Magazine and Honeysuckle Magazine. Sharisse is currently working on a memoir.