My Writer’s Statement, Then and Now

By Michele Cantos Garcia

When I was still a new writer searching for my voice at writing workshops, I was overcome with a conviction that I should apply to artist retreats and fellowships. Earning these opportunities, I thought, would make me a real writer.

Time makes fools of us all, however, and I was rejected from each opportunity expeditiously. And with reason, as I barely had enough writing samples—unpolished, of course—for the applications. My letters of recommendation were prepar...