Fiona Writes with Junot Diaz

oh hello there, friends and fam! as some of you may know, i was recently accepted into an incredible writer's program called Voices of the Nations Arts (VONA) , where aspiring writers of color are mentored by established writers of color in a weeklong intensive workshop. i was accepted into the political content + memoir workshop with the acclaimed Arab American activist/writer Elmaz Abinader, who is one of the co-founders of VONA alongside the incredible Domincan American writer Junot Diaz .

through this workshop i hope to further spark creativity and develop content for a memoir, which will explore ways in which immigration amplifies systemic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal shame through the telling of my own story. <care to talk more about this? let's!>

needless to say, i'm beyond thrilled, deeply grateful, and would love your support!

a little background: after grueling months at my former job, i concluded a few things: 1) the toxic work environment i was trying to change was doing me more harm than i was doing it good, and 2) what i really want to do is pivot into more meaningful work around social justice. so after much analysis, number crunching, and a lot of patience, i quit my job with the intetion to take some time off. 

that was the hard part. now a new journey begins by way of this incredible gift of time; time to authentically rest and rejuvenate; to give love to friends and family; to deepen my social justice understanding domestically and abroad; and now, to refine my craft of writing.


not so liberating, however, is the lack of income. (...i'm tempted to go deep about how money both liberates and imprisons us...but i'll save that for my next article!)

so here we are today: the VONA workshop + travel/stay in Miami for one week costs around $2,000. though not a large sum, any financial support from you would help to minimize its impact on this journey. 

you already know that your support of whatever size would mean the world to me. as a humble token of my gratitude, all donors will receive a package of love from me from a surprise destination around the world...and there are some exciting places on deck!

also, when i become an acclaimed writer <dreaming big here> i'll splash your name all over the credits.*

*this may or may not actually happen

thank you: with or without this campaign, i hope you know that i have so much love for you; for the talents, heart, humor, and truths you embody, and for the things i will continue to learn from you. can we grab coffee / Google hangout soon? better yet, come hang with me in miami :)

lots of love and gratitude,
fiona, fee, fifi