Jewels, a runner up in the Q1 2026 Creative Nonfiction Essay Contest for Headbanger's Mask, joins us today with some thoughts on memoir. As a writer and artist based in the Pacific Northwest, has been trying to speak her truth since before she had the language for it. Her work explores identity, masking, and the long, uneven process of becoming audible—to herself first, and then to others. Her writing is informed by a parallel practice in systems, culture, and narrative analysis.
You can read more of her work on Substack at https://www.jewelsfromcoal.com/ where she shares reflections, writing, and creative work.
WOW: “Headbanger’s Mask” was a powerful essay. What message do you hope will remain with your readers?
Jewels: What I hope readers carry with them is the idea that the masks we wear often begin as protection. For many of us—especially those navigating race, identity, or belonging in environments that weren’t built for us—masking can be a survival strategy. But over time, those masks can also become prisons if we never take them off.
Writing the essay helped me understand that the version of myself I created to survive wasn’t fake—it was adaptive. The real work now is learning how to keep the strength that mask gave me while still allowing my true self to breathe.
WOW: Do you think all people recognize that they wear a mask?
Jewels: I don’t think everyone does, at least not right away. Many of the masks we wear are learned so early that they feel like personality instead of performance. For people who exist at the intersection of multiple identities—race, gender, class, sexuality, neurodivergence—the awareness often comes earlier because we’re constantly adjusting ourselves to different environments. But even then, recognizing the mask and understanding why it exists are two different things. Sometimes writing is the first place where that realization happens.
WOW: Has writing been an important way to learn about yourself?
Jewels: Writing has been part of my life since I was young, though I didn’t always understand its importance at the time. It started as journaling, then poetry, then essays. Over the years it became the place where I could ask the questions I didn’t always feel safe asking out loud. Writing helped me make sense of the spaces between identity, family history, culture, and belonging. Looking back now, I realize writing wasn’t just expression—it was also a form of listening to myself.
WOW: Do you have a preferred type of writing or genre?
Jewels: I’m most drawn to creative nonfiction and memoir because they allow me to explore lived experience while still using the tools of storytelling. That said, I also write fiction and speculative work. Sometimes the truths we’re trying to explore become clearer when they’re placed inside a story. I enjoy moving between those spaces because each genre reveals something different about how we understand ourselves and the world around us.
WOW: Can you tell us a little about the progress of your memoir?
Jewels: The memoir I’m working on explores identity, belonging, and the long process of learning to love oneself after years of navigating systems that encourage masking and survival over authenticity. Right now the project exists as a series of interconnected essays and narrative moments. Pieces like “Headbanger’s Mask” are part of that larger exploration. The process has been both challenging and rewarding because it asks me to revisit moments in my life with honesty and compassion. It’s a slow process, but it’s one that feels deeply meaningful.
WOW: What’s up next for you?
Jewels: Right now I’m continuing to build out my memoir through interconnected essays that explore identity, belonging, and the long process of becoming. I’m also actively submitting my work and expanding my presence as a writer.
In addition to my own writing, I’ve begun offering sensitivity reading and editorial support, particularly for stories that engage with race, identity, and lived experience. That work feels like a natural extension of my writing—helping other storytellers bring honesty and nuance to the page.
I’m also exploring ways to bring storytelling into community spaces through workshops and conversations. At this point, my focus is on creating work that is both personally meaningful and in dialogue with a larger audience.
WOW: Good luck with achieving the balance between writing yourself and writing for others. We look forward to updates on your memoir.
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