ADA LIMÓN And her Writing Space

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Welcome!  It’s been a while since any of these Guest Posts appeared.  I’m thrilled to be starting them up again and hope to stick to a weekly schedule.  I’ve managed to assemble a nifty collection of writers and hope to continue as long as creative types are willing to participate.  My thanks in advance to one and all.

Today’s Guest Post is by Ada Limón.  All photo’s can be viewed a bit larger by clicking on them.  Enjoy!

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I like to think that I could write anywhere, and maybe I could. If I needed to, if time was running out, if I was struck by some extraordinary need to tornado a poem or a story right then and there, I think I could. But for the real day to day of it, the “I am going to work,” part of writing, I like to have a specific writing space. My space. It’s a space that says now is the time to shut the world out and create your own new world.

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I think some writers don’t need a designated area. They can write in coffee shops and bars and all sorts of fun places with beverages. That’s difficult for me because I read everything out loud. No one wants a crazy girl at the end of the bar reading a poem or a passage out loud over and over. My writing space doesn’t have to be fancy, but it does have to be somewhat private. I need to feel free to play with words out loud without judgment.

I like a space that’s fairly clutter-free: not a lot of papers on surfaces, not too many things to look at. I do, however, like the things on my desk to have meaning. Right now my desk has a few pictures of family and friends, a stack of books that I return to often for inspiration or research, and two vases of pens (the vases are handmade from my mother in the 70’s). There is also one long green ceramic tray that says “Writing,” and was given to me by my friend, fellow writer Nicole Callihan, when I had the honor of having a poem in the New Yorker. That’s where I keep my glasses. There is a jar of beach glass, a large bottle of water, and, since I am writing this in the morning, there is also a cup of coffee and a to-do list for the day.

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I’m a big fan of the list. I write one every morning. Today, I have this blog post on the list. And some other bits and pieces of things that make up my life. A list is a great organizing tool. It gives me a small sense of control, when life can feel otherwise chaotic. I learned this when I worked for magazines in New York. But now that I work from home, I need it even more. The day can quickly get away from me when all the hours are seemingly my own. I even put what I want to do exercise-wise on the list to make sure I get up and do yoga, or jog, or hike, or go to the gym. For me, physical movement is as important to the brain as reading.

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I am also a fan of corners. When we first moved to the bluegrass, we had nothing in our apartment. All my things were either in Brooklyn, NY, or Sonoma, CA, so it was hard to create spaces. Now that most things are here, I like to set up little corners in the house for reading or for visiting. My office has a corner chair for afternoon reading and for visitors. The chair is also good for staring out the window.

The window looks out on a big maple tree. Today it is raining, but the tree doesn’t seem to mind one bit.

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I have a guitar in my office. I don’t play very well, or very often, but when I do, I like to have it right there. Most of all, I like to sing, which I think is good for my brain, too. I have a meditation cushion, or zafu, in my office as well. I’ve been trying to meditate daily, though I admit, this month, most of my meditation has been walking meditation.

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There is also the very important, very formidable, presence of a small dog in my office. She has a bed in my office and a bed in my boyfriend’s office. She goes back and forth all day making sure we are both doing our jobs. She can be distracting at times and demands a walk, food, or love, but for the most part she serves as a great stress easer and comic relief. Right now, she is asleep.

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In Sonoma, California, I also have a little writing area I’ve set up in a kitchen area. There is a cozy apartment my friends let me borrow, and in it I have some books and a great orange kitchen where I’ve written a great deal of my first novel.

When I first decided to quit my job and try to write fulltime, I found that one of the first things I had to do in order to really get started, was to create safe, welcoming, clean writing spaces. For me, creating a space that was official, or meant only for the purpose of writing, was essential. Occasionally, I will write outdoors when it’s sunny and warm, but often the best, most concentrated work is done at my designated writing station, where writing is deemed the most important, most crucial thing to do. I have a sign in the orange California kitchen that simply says, “You are doing what you are supposed to be doing.” And, I think, when writing areas are at their very best, that is what they are saying all the time.

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ADA LIMÓN grew up in Glen Ellen and Sonoma, California. A graduate of New York University’s MFA Creative Writing Program, she has received fellowships from the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center, the New York Foundation for the Arts, and won the Chicago Literary Award for Poetry. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, Harvard Review, and Poetry Daily. She is the author of three books of poetry, Lucky Wreck (Autumn House Press, 2006), This Big Fake World (Pearl Editions, 2007), and Sharks in the Rivers (Milkweed Editions, 2010). She is currently at work on a novel, a book of essays, and a new collection of poems.

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My thanks to Ada for this wonderful post.  You can read the other entries in the series here, and come back next week for another glimpse into Writing Spaces.