Congratulations to Hannah Andrews from San Diego, California for her amazing nonfiction essay titled:
Check out Hannah's submission, Trickle Down Silence as well as all the other winning entries and then stop back here to read Katherine's enlightening interview with Crystal J. Casavant-Otto from WOW! Women on Writing.
Hannah Andrews writes poetry, CNF, and short fiction. Her work has been selected for the print versions of 2025 Gold Man Review West Coast Literary, San Diego’s A Year in Ink (2024), Shaking the Tree (Volumes 5 and 6 ) and performed onstage at the San Diego Memoir Showcase. Her essays and flash fiction can be found online at Imogene's Notebook, Adoptee Voices E-Zine, and The Narrative Arc, among others. She’s currently on the umpteenth draft of her adoptee memoir, None of This is Yours. Originally from the midwest, she now resides on the west coast, with her faithful Lab mix Josie, three resident cats, and a rotating cast of foster felines.
Today's post was penned by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto
WOW: Hannah- thank you so much for taking time today to chat with me. Thank you also for your personal and touching entry into the Nonfiction Essay Contest and Congratulations! We have just a bit of time today so let's get to it!
Thank you for writing such a personal essay - what is the take-away you'd like readers to gain from Trickle Down Silence?
Hannah: Too often, we stand up for others (as we should), but fail to extend that same compassion and empathy to ourselves. We may see our experiences as “not so bad” or not as traumatic as those of others, and perhaps they aren’t, but then, trauma isn’t a contest. Negative experiences leave their marks on us, often cumulatively. That’s part of the reason I wrote this essay in the second person, as if I were speaking to someone else, though, of course, that person is also me. It was just enough distance to be really honest with both my younger and current self, to say, “Yes, you’ll be okay, but this stuff is always going to sting. It will always be there.” You wouldn’t brush off a friend who told you these things. Don’t brush off yourself. My hope is that readers empathize not with me, but with themselves.
WOW: That was heavy and hit a bit close to home. I'll just say thank you and move on.
Where do you write? What does your space look like? I’d love to know more about your adoptee memoir if you’d like to share?
Hannah: My writing space is a sort of repurposed bonus room. It’s now a cove with bookshelves and window seats I made myself. I’m not crafty, but I cut foam and covered it with fluffy white blankets and throw pillows. Immediately, my dog jumped in and claimed one seat and my cats the other, so I don’t sit and write in those window seats as I’d imagined, but in my chair at the desk in front of them. Tucked in with my favorite authors are 4 anthologies I’ve been honored to have essays included in, in case I ever try to tell myself I’m not a “real” writer. It’s cozy and quiet, filled with my favorite words and my faithful furry friends.
As for the memoir, well, it’s a work in progress. I’m currently on the third (maybe fifth) draft. I had a great editor helping me with this last draft, and all my writing groups weighing in along the way. It began when I met a birth mother and author at a writing conference. I was writing fiction only back then, but wandered into a memoir group. I’d never met a birthmother and meeting her immediately sparked my own journey to find my origin story.
We adoptees begin our known existence in “chapter two” most often. So, “None of This is Yours” is the story of my search for my chapter one, maybe even my prologue. But what began as a search for my first mother, for history, for answers, turned into so much more. And led to more questions. I found I’d buried so many feelings about being relinquished, about not having biological connections, about so many things. It was not the fun reunion story I'd hoped for, but it has changed my life. And it all began with meeting another woman (Laura Engel, author of “You’ll Forget This Ever Happened") sharing her story. Her story led me to mine. I’m so glad I walked into that writing conference.
WOW: You've given me so much to think about today. Thank you. I love how you explained beginning in chapter 2 as an adoptee. It makes sense but I had never looked at it that way.
Do you have advice for your younger self when it comes to making decisions, believing in yourself, and/or writing? What would your current self say to the younger you?
Hannah: Well, I doubt my younger self would listen to me. She was pretty headstrong. But, I’d tell her that she’s going to make some epically bad decisions, and that’s okay. I’d beg her to not stop writing for those two and a half decades I stopped writing for. Other than that, I’d just encourage her to live life to the fullest– to live life out loud, to travel, dance, sing, whatever, be young. Make some bad decisions, learn from them, forgive yourself. And write it all down. It may not seem worth remembering, or noting, but it is.
WOW: I feel like our younger selves are incredibly similar and oh yes, those epically bad decisions - we should write a book about those!
What role has journaling and/or writer's groups played in your life?
Hannah: I don’t journal, though I start most days writing– either part of a project or just random clearing out the cobwebs of my brain. My goal is always 1000 words a day, which I achieve about a third of the time. As for writers groups, I rotate between a few- all online. I have a local San Diego read-and-critique group that has been incredibly helpful with both fiction and nonfiction for the past four years. I have also been part of several writing groups that are all made up of adopted persons. Their insight, lived experience, and support is invaluable. I also write and share short fiction with a group I met through a prompts fiction contest.
WOW: Sounds like you have a wonderful system in place to keep you forging ahead with your writing - love it!
What is your history with writing contests? - tell us what prompted you to submit to this particular contest? What would you like to tell other authors concerning contests and submitting their work?
Hannah: A good friend of mine told me about WOW (Jean Widner, who was a runner-up with her piece, “The Flame,” in 2023’s Q4 CNF). My history isn’t long. I’ve entered a couple of dozen in the last two years: poetry, fiction, memoir, and CNF. My first was the 2021 San Diego Memoir Showcase, and I wrote about my disastrous first marriage. My piece was in the top 10 and selected for stage performance (by an actor, not me) and publication. After that, I was hooked. I entered more, both locally and online. And mostly lost. But I keep entering. I’m not really competitive, but the contests have deadlines, guidelines, and structure. I need that discipline. Competitions keep me writing, re-writing, editing, and polishing.
My advice to authors considering entering this or other contests or submitting to online or print publications is – do it. Dive in! It’s a great opportunity for exposure and a valuable learning experience. And you never know who needs to read your words, whose life you may touch. And also, it’s just pretty darn cool to see your words in print.
WOW: Thank you Hannah for your great advice to others when it comes to writing and writing contests, and thank you for sharing with us in today's interview! You're a bright light for all of us writers and readers! I look forward to our paths crossing again and until then - keep writing (and smiling)!
Crystal Casavant writes. Everything.
If you follow her blog you have likely laid eyes on every thought she has ever had. Her debut novel, It Was Never About Me, Was It? is still a work in progress and shall be fully worthy sometime in 2025. She has written for WOW! Women on Writing, Bring on Lemons, and has been featured in several magazines and ezines relating to credit and collections as well as religious collections for confessional Lutherans. She runs a busy household full of intelligent, recalcitrant, and delightful humans who give her breath and keep her heart beating day after day.
Crystal wears many hats (and not just the one in this photo) and fully believes in being in the moment and doing everything she can to improve the lives of those around her! The world may never know her name, but she prays that because of her, someone may smile a little brighter. She prides herself on doing nice things - yes, even for strangers!
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