What Happens When Someone in Real Life Feels Left Out on the Page

By Nikki Campo

A couple of years ago, I wrote an essay about a pasta-making tradition my Italian-American dad and I share, one we started before my mom died. I sent the published version to my dad and his new wife, Linda. Normally, they’d reply after reading my stories and let me know what they thought. I’d grown used to their feedback. But this time, I got only silence.

For the handful of years I’d been writing, I felt a tension between my dad and my work. I had a graduate degree in bu...