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Writing Spaces: Shannon Blake

By Shannon Blake

Today we’re sharing Shannon Blake’s Writing Space with you! Shannon is the author of “The Mataram Miracle,” which can be found in Issue 144!

This year, I spent three weeks in Dundas, Ontario on a writing retreat. I sat in a little back room and wrote, then went for long walks through the snowy woods at the end of the day. I need absolute quiet when I write, as well as no phones and no internet. When I’m in the city, I usually try to find a cubicle in a library at the University of Toronto. I like prefer to be away from windows (again, I’m easily distracted). I know that everyone writes differently, but I find that I resonate most with Annie Dillard’s descriptions of writing in The Writing Life. She also felt a need to close out the whole world in order to find the world in her head.

I don’t find the noise of daily life helpful for writing, but I do like random facts. A birding book was helpful to me this year. I also appreciate any and all stories about the Virgin Mary.

Besides all of this, I am deeply connected to a community called Sanctuary in downtown Toronto. Sanctuary is a place that facilitates relationships between street-involved people and people of relative privilege. I find that the questions and experiences I emerge with at Sanctuary greatly inform my thinking and my writing.

 

 

 

We’re giving you a behind-the-scenes look into the writing process – straight from the desks of our contributors! Check out the full series here.

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  • Shannon Blake
  • Writer Resources
  • Writing Spaces

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