Scarlet
A Literary Journal
Scarlet is a bimonthly blog dedicated to publishing the work of artists whose pieces give voice to the complexities of our multiple identities. In keeping with JIP’s mission to uplift marginalized voices, Scarlet aims to showcase bold and unique framings of the view from the margins, giving strong preference to writing that questions norms and provokes discourse.
What Frozen Taught Me About Writing Memoir
Franz Kafka famously said, “A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within
What is Experimental Writing?
I’ve always considered myself a no frills, linear, begin-at-the-beginning, chronological-until-the-end type of person. Experimental writing
Righting the Rejection
My novel has received 70 rejections over the last 21 months. I have written dozens
The Most Important Writing Advice I Know
I started working at Watson Wyatt in San Francisco after I’d been let go from
Pregnancy Killed My Creativity
I had fantasies about how hugely creative I would be while pregnant — my body’s
Writing Triumph
The year my dad died, I was taking writing classes at University of Chicago. I
Writing and The Body
Writing on a keyboard has become a natural gesture of many modern humans. Not a
Writing From This Notebook and This Wellspring of Loss
I wrote in a poem once that I am “ruled by ruled paper.” I buy
Writing From This Notebook and This Wellspring of Loss
I wrote in a poem once that I am “ruled by ruled paper.” I buy
What the Man-of-War Told Me in the Gulf of My Youth
To say it now: I can hear the tangible skin of words — as one
Survivorship Bias in Publishing
How do we as writers best learn successful habits? By emulating the successful? As I
A Terrible Writer
You imagined the chair of the creative writing program spoke the same words as the
Life is for Learning; Writing is for Social Justice
Comedian Steve Harvey has a routine where he talks about the third eye of comedians.
Writing With Veterans
My friend Chris invited me to visit her at work. She’s a nurse practitioner at
What I Learned About Writing from Life, I Learned from Life
The first time I held an infant in my arms I was eleven years old.
What Oscar Wilde Said
“Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.” – Oscar Wilde. One of the hardest parts
The Momentum of Writing
The principle is simple: potential energy turns to kinetic energy. Momentum is a force of
On Being Confident and Prolific
“It is […] true that creation comes from an overflow, so you have to learn
A Good Story Affects You, Whether You Like it Or Not
I was walking down Hollywood Boulevard with my half-sister, Judy. She’s 81, decades older than
The Tyranny of Time
It’s been two months since I sent my (possible) agent the book. My manuscript. My
