I was the ONLY Mexican woman in the crowd. Unfortunately, there weren't a lot of POC period. Which I find hysterical because 826 LA is located in Echo Park. Unfortunately, Echo Park is a gentrified neighborhood. As much as it's was frustrating to be the only Mexican there, I was ecstatic to hear what each writer had to say. Especially Joshuah Bearman. He writes for The American Prospect, and various "liberal" magazines that recognize class and race. He was dope.
All four writers have different experiences with freelance writing, and each explain their own process. I wrote about 4 pages of notes. Here's a few things that are still lingering in my subconscious....
"There's no other profession where you can stay home all day in your boxers shorts. I rely on humorous observation..." - Neil Pollack
"(generally) pitching your writing is frustrating" - Joel Stein
"Social media (Twitter, FB, ETC) validates your writing, you start creating your own community" - Neil Pollack
"I like to write, but I hate Twitter" - Claire Hoffman
"I read weekly's from other cities" - Clarie Hoffman
"I use to read a lot, but then I moved to LA and now reading makes me feel stupid" - Neil Pollack
"Every job I've had, came through a personal relationship" - Joel Stein and Joshua Bearman
"I use to be careful, but then I stopped" - Joel Stein
"I don't think you have to know everybody." Claire Hoffman and Joshua Bearman
"Finding your community on the internet is HARD" - Joshua Bearman
"Be aggressive, but don't lose your mind over it" - All four writers
r.r.r.
