Today, See Jane Write turns 15. Next year’s birthday— Jane’s super sweet 16 — will be a big one. (I’ve already put together a committee to plan the celebration.) But this year feels special too.
(more…)See Jane Write turns 15
My New Word for the Year 2026
I’m ditching my word for the year 2026 because New York Times bestselling author Tayari Jones told me I should.
On Sunday, March 15, 2026, I had the honor of moderating a discussion and Q&A with Jones when she visited Birmingham as part of her national book tour for her new novel Kin, which debuted #3 on the New York Times Bestseller list and is an Oprah’s Book Club pick. (You can read highlights from the discussion in The Birmingham Times.)
(more…)Life Update and 11 Journal Prompts for Self-Discovery
I’m in desperate need of some journaling prompts for self-discovery. Yes, even at my big age of 45, I am still trying to figure out who I am and what I want.
(more…)The Reporter’s Re-entry: Reclaiming the ‘I’ in a World of Third-Person Narratives
Editor’s Note: See Jane Write publishes guest articles by writers who identify as women, non-binary folks, and our allies. Learn more here.
By Mary Chiney
The first thing they teach you in a newsroom is how to disappear.
As a journalist, your training is a masterclass in the art of the invisible. You are taught to stand in the back of the room, notebook pressed against a damp palm, recording the vibrations of someone else’s brilliance while your own voice stays tucked safely behind a press pass. For years, I have made a living in the third person. I have dissected the discographies of global icons for The Quietus, mapped the rising trajectories of African trailblazers for The Recording Academy (Grammy.com) and Afrocritik, and translated the raw, sonic vulnerability of artists like Kid Cudi and Amaarae into the polished, intellectual prose required by “reputable publications.”
In the high-stakes world of culture journalism, the “I” is a liability. To say “I felt” is to invite the ghost of “unprofessionalism” into the room. We are taught that the story is the subject, and we are merely the lens, transparent, unbiased, and essentially, silent.
But lately, I’ve been thinking about the cost of that transparency. When you spend all your time building legacies for others, what happens to the architecture of your own soul? I saw the call for submissions for See Jane Write, and it felt like a mirror being held up to a face I hadn’t looked at in years. It asked a question that journalists rarely ask themselves: Are you the author of your own life, or are you just the biographer of everyone else’s?
(more…)Food for the Writer’s Soul at the 3rd Annual Eat & Greet by LaDarrius “LHUT” Hutcherson
On Sunday, February 22, I had the chance to attend the Third Annual Eat & Greet event, hosted by popular content creator LaDarrius “LHUT” Hutcherson.
The event was a celebration of LHUT’s debut book, Bloom Where You’re Planted, which tells his story and how he is building the life of his dreams, growing his influence, and making an impact all in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. (Learn more about LHUT’s book in my latest article for The Birmingham Times.)
But LHUT told me that he wanted this year’s Eat & Greet event to inspire attendees to bloom where they’ve been planted, too.
So, while the event served up delicious food and drinks, LHUT wanted attendees to fill up on nuggets of wisdom too. And so much of what was shared by LHUT and other guest speakers were words I felt writers especially need to hear.
(more…)