63. Refining Our Raw Material with Allison Mei-Li

Season 7

Apr 1

“Once you share something, it takes on a life of its own and no longer belongs to you.”

Every piece of writing starts the same way—as raw material. Fragmented lines in a notebook, messy, typed pages, and printed drafts that need the swipe of a colored pen. And once we have our start, there are so many craft choices to make along the way. Today’s guest, Allison Mei-Li, breaks down how to do it with intention, how to consider your reader’s experience, and above all, ways to care for yourself while working through difficult material.

Highlights

How the process of oysters creating pearls mirrors the writer’s life
Why becoming a mother motivated Allison to finally share her writing
The family emergency that caused her to question her path to publication, and how Allison wrote her way through a dark season of liminal space
Creating ceremony around writing sessions, and how the yogic principle of saucha supports her practice
Utilizing hermit crab essay principles in poetry (or anytime you need another way in)
Sequencing choices that orient the reader, especially when you’re not writing chronologically
The value of including cultural commentary and levity alongside difficult personal moments
Editing and arranging philosophies, including the value of giving it time and the necessity of getting to know your own work
Publication fatigue and how adrenaline masks the exhaustion underneath
The visceral reaction Allison had when her poem was torn apart on Reddit, our negativity bias, and how she didn’t let it stop her from publishing

Meet Allison

Allison Mei-Li is an author, poet, and mother based in Ventura County, CA. Known for her tender and honest writing style, Allison views poetry as a way to “go first,” offering language for the universal experiences we often carry quietly. She is a poetry reader at The Turning Leaf Journal and hosts creative gatherings for women both on and offline. Her work has been featured in Rust & Moth, Coffee + Crumbs, MER Literary, and others. Allison’s debut collection, A History of Holding, is now available.