Meet Micaela Merryman

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Micaela Merryman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Micaela, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?

I feel that this could be considered a trick question. So much of success, in my opinion, comes from being the only one in the room who looks like you. It positions you to surprise others. Although I grew up as a brown woman in predominantly white spaces, I never felt that my race could be a hindrance to my success. I think it is the key. In writing specifically, each person’s perspective is varied and valuable. There are universal experiences to which we can all relate, and then there is the experience of a woman of color. Few can relate. The rest, you can teach something.

Use your uniqueness, your idiosyncrasies, as the basis to command attention. Who wants to hear a bunch of the same recycled crap from a hundred of the same types of people?

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

For as long as I can remember, I knew that I was born to write incredible stories! I’ve always wanted to be an author and work in the literary arts. My younger self would be thrilled that I am a community arts administrator and published poet.

I just finished my year-and-a-half term as the first Youth Poet Laureate of Flagstaff, as well as closed out my monthly poetry and music series, Off The Rails. I also helped organize and host my second round of events for the Northern Arizona Book Festival. Those experiences have transformed my life, but I’m aching to return home! Home, being fiction, that is. It is the genre that has my soul. Though I am so grateful my poetry is well-received by so many, fiction is where my passion and talent lie.

I will be reading my fiction for the second time, reading a full short story for the first time, on September 7th at the Coconino Center for the Arts’ 40th anniversary theater celebration. I am incredibly honored to be part of such a dynamic, multi-disciplinary arts lineup as one of the few authors. Besides that, all I have planned for the immediate future is bolstering my portfolio, applying to MFAs, becoming a better reader, and an even better writer. Basically, I’m elated to have more free time. I’m really looking forward to becoming a caricature of the stereotypical, introspective writer and hunkering down until I finish something incredible.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

As a writer, growing up reading a variety of books as often as I could really shaped my imagination and expanded the language I learned to use. Though I’m not always great at it in practice, I will regurgitate what most authors suggest: if you want to be a good writer, you have to be a great reader. I’m still figuring out what ‘good’ and ‘great’ mean to me personally, but it’s something I can’t deny to be true.

Also, in the context of writing, you’re not always going to feel like doing it. You may have writer’s block. If you’re like me, who recently moved from an academic environment where writing was encouraged to a full-time job where finding the energy to do it at all feels impossible, this ‘lack of progress’ can feel incredibly deflating. I’m learning that your writing practice may look completely different from your peers, or even from people you admire, because you ARE different. No one has the same life, job, mental capacity, or resources. I wouldn’t say I’ve completely learned these skills, but I’ve learned the importance of perseverance, but not at the expense of self-compassion. It is so easy to succumb to grind and hustle culture and burn out in the process because of a lack of flexibility. I think a balance between these two skills is essential for longevity in just about anything. I’m still trying to find it myself.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

‘”Just Kids” by Patti Smith reached me at the right time in my life. It’s all about exploring the creative self, and more than that, it’s about youth! It made me realize how significant these moments of my twenties can be—stepping stones, fleeting memories, or both. It made me realize how small I am in the grand scheme of things. I think that scares some people, but I welcome it. I’m not afraid to make myself smaller to crack open the world!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://micaelamerryman.wixsite.com/sondermagazine/blog
• Instagram: micaelamerryman
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micaelamerryman101/

Image Credits

1st Photo
Photographer: Matthew Hayden, AZ Daily Sun

2nd Photo Requested Caption
“Merryman’s Off The Rails Poetry Series in September ’22.”