Roopa Vasudevan, The Creative Independent, 5/30/2026

• “Well, we’re in a really bad situation. But look at this artist, they can show us the new way forward.” That started to really frustrate me. That view treats artists almost as if they are exempt from all of the problems that plague everyone else in their relationships with technology, when in reality they’re just as susceptible to all of this. We really have to start reckoning with that idea rather than thinking of ourselves as somehow exempt.
• The whole idea of strategic transparency came from observing that tech companies use artists as a kind of clout. I really go into depth in my book analyzing the way that Google utilized the Arcade Fire project, the interactive music video they did for “We Used to Wait” in 2010. It was a really innovative, amazing project, but it was also a launch of Google Chrome, meant to show all the things Chrome was capable of that other browsers weren’t. The tech industry frequently utilizes artists as a way to legitimize or popularize their projects. I make parallels to gentrification—the first thing that real estate developers usually cite is, “Oh, look how many artists live here.”

Queer Writers of Queens, 5/27/2026

• "draw the house" - when you are describing something, think of if someone could draw it
• "over-editing" - can avoid this by viewing your work in different formats (using a different word processor, putting it in a spreadsheet)
  • handwriting is also important

Avigayl Sharp, The Creative Independent, 5/19/2026

• I felt like everything I wrote was wonderful, but [my teacher] was like, “there’s a lot here that needs work.” There’s a moment when you decide to do something for the good of itself. You’re like, “okay, maybe I really want to see what I can do. Maybe I’m really willing to work. Maybe it’s not going to come easily to me and that’s okay.” That was the beginning of my love of working, instead of just loving the praise.

Caro Claire Burke, 4/10/2026

• It's not nothing to make a decision that reinforces your own sense of legitimacy.

Min Jin Lee, Queens College reading/lecture, 3/25/2026

• I believe in throwing away drafts
• I like the idea that we are infinite, so you don't have to worry about losing something forever if you throw it away.

can't remember where I heard this, 3/5/2026

• respect for your own memory and specificity as a way to connect with other people

can't remember where I heard this, 2/10/2026

• Narrative writing where you create an ending is helpful for healing (even if you don't actually have closure with the person)