Category Archives: The Pen Is…

Who among us hasn’t struggled with writing a series of “She said…he asked…they cried…she exclaimed,” treading the fine line between too repetitive and too esoteric? After her discomfort writing dialogue in her most recent writing exercise, Ana develops a piece that is ONLY dialogue, channeling her theater experience and memories of improv practice into aContinue reading “The Pen Is…Talking It Out”

Ana dives into a fictional piece about writing a first person story that connects healing from trauma with the help of the Earth. Ana discusses with Hana how daunting the prompt initially was for her and how the process of writing this piece gave pause to reflect upon codependency, compassion fatigue, and questions who mightContinue reading “The Pen Is…Finding the Hidden Healers”

Hana writes a piece about her identity as a Jewish person and discusses it with Ana, delving into her family history and the experience of being the grandchild of Holocaust survivors while living in Bavaria, the historical home of the Nazi Party. Originally recorded August 23, 2020. Hana – what is it like to beContinue reading “The Pen Is…Discussing Jewish Identity”

The podcast gets off to an intense start, as Ana discusses a piece she wrote on the last time she was single – her senior year of college, giving rise to a discussion around vulnerability, growth, and what it means to be in a relationship. Hana’s piece then takes the episode in a completely differentContinue reading “The Pen Is…Reflecting on Singledom and Global Politics”

Podcast co-hosts Ana and Hana introduce themselves and figure out what makes them tick as writers, while sharing their hopes for The Pen Is…, a podcast featuring amusing, introspective, and vulnerable conversations about writing as a creative outlet. Future episodes will feature discussions of personal stories, writing exercises, and explorations of everyday life challenges throughContinue reading “The Pen Is…Introducing Itself”