My Year in Review: 2012

What a full year 2012 was! Here’s a quick little recap:::

In January I announced that the rumors were true. But it took the full year for it to finally look like this.

In February I joined Pinterest to discover how it may help me as a writer and have been happily pinning ever since.

In March my personal essay was included in the book Creating Space.

In April I was one of the editors representing the Burnside Writers Collective at the Festival of Faith & Writing. It was so special to get to catch up with the other editors and writers, whom I just adore. I also had the opportunity to teach a writing workshop while I was there.

Image via On the Road with Bob Holman / Rattapallax

In April I also worked to create awareness about what we lose when we lose a language. My interview with poet Bob Holman appeared in BOMBlog.

In May I received my MFA in creative nonfiction from The New School. I had a fantastic thesis advisor and a beloved peer group, who challenged me to dig deeper in my memoir about growing up Greek American. After I read a snippet at our thesis reading, an instructor I’d never even had came up to tell me how much he liked my work!

Image via The Human Tower / Rattapallax

In June I witnessed the world record being broken for the tallest castell on a rooftop.

In July I heard Amber Tamblyn read for The Paris Review at the Strand. Afterwards we somehow ended up on the elevator together, and I didn’t say anything to her. I never know in those situations if it’s polite to say something like “nice reading” or if the person just wants her privacy. I know she’s involved in the Beat literature community, though, so I should’ve probably talked to her about that.

Image via The Millions

In August an article I wrote about a funny incident I had related to Jack Kerouac sparked a fiery debate and went viral, getting mentioned everywhere from The New Yorker to The Paris Review.

Photo via RA Araya

In September I had one of the most surreal moments of my life–reading with David Amram. I got to hear him perform again, this time as an enthralled audience member, in December.

Photo via RA Araya

That month I also read for poet Miguel Algarin‘s birthday bash.

I also road tripped through northern and central California, visiting Cannery Row, City Lights Bookshop, The Beat Museum, and attending my college friend’s wedding.

In October Hurricane Sandy hit New York, and I spent a lot of time in bed.

In November I failed miserably at NaNoWriMo, but I had a lot of fun creating this ever-evolving Pinterest board for the book I never wrote.

I also gave a reading that got upstaged by a wedding proposal.

In December there was a flurry of Jack Kerouac-related activities to promote the film adaptation of On the Road, and I got to see author Ann Charters and film director Walter Salles in person at IFC. I also got to take a writing class with screenwriter Jose Rivera at 3rd Ward.

I also went out to Lowell and got to meet Jack Kerouac’s friend and pallbearer Billy Koumantzelis.

What were the highlights of 2012 for you?

Tags: 3rd Ward, Amber Tamblyn, Ann Charters, Beat Museum, Billy Koumantzelis, Bob Holman, Burning Furiously Beautiful, Burnside Writers Collective, Calvin College, Cannery Row, castell, City Lights, David Amram, endangered language, Festival of Faith & Writing, Greek American, Hurricane Sandy, IFC, Jack Kerouac, Jose Rivera, memoir, MFA, Miguel Algarin, NaNoWriMo, New Yorker, On the Road, On the Road film, On the Road with Bob Holman, Paris Review, Paul Maher Jr., Pinterest, RA Araya, Ram Devineni, Rattapallax, reading, Redeemer Writers Group, road trip, social media, Strand, The Millions, The New School, Walter Salles