Saeed Jones

Columbus

Freelance Contributor at Freelance

💥 Books: Prelude to Bruise. How We Fight For Our Lives. Alive at the End of the World. 💥 Co-host of #VibeCheckPod 💥 Reps: @TuesdayAgency @SheedyLit

Articles

I'm doing two events this week in Boston.

3 weeks ago | saeedjones.substack.com | Saeed Jones

Hi everyone, I hope this apocalypse finds you well. Anyway, if you’re in the Boston-area and perhaps in need of good company, conversation and a dash of encouragement, you’re in luck. On Tuesday at 6:30pm, I’ll be at WBUR CitySpace celebrating the launch of my friend Maggie Smith’s book DEAR WRITER. As many of y’all know, we’re co-editing an anthology titled THE PEOPLE’S PROJECTwhich comes out this fall. We’ve got a lot to talk about.
No One is Coming to Save Us But Us.

1 month ago | saeedjones.substack.com | Saeed Jones

I’m hooting and hollering this morning, y’all. I’m so excited to reveal the cover of THE PEOPLE’S PROJECT: Poems, Essays and Art for Looking Forward. This anthology of twenty-six writers is a community in book form. Maggie Smith and I have spent the last few months reaching out to the people we ourselves turn to for clarity and hope. My prayer for this book is in its pages we all will find maps, blueprints, and lodestars that guide us toward each other and toward the future we deserve.
A Conversation with Roxane Gay

1 month ago | saeedjones.substack.com | Saeed Jones

A few weeks ago, my mentor and dear friend Roxane Gay was kind enough to join me for an event here at Harvard Medical School. I’ve been organizing a series of public conversations about creative nonfiction over the course of my residency and this was certainly a highlight. Roxane and I both read new work then had a wide-ranging discussion about the creative life, politics and culture. We had a HOOT and kept it real. I’m delighted to that video of our event is available now. You can watch it here.
Wanna talk about writing nonfiction with me and Eula Biss?

2 months ago | saeedjones.substack.com | Saeed Jones

My dear friend Eula Biss and I love teaching nonfiction workshops together. We’ve co-taught a workshop together twice so far at Bennington College. She’s also visited my students at Harvard to read some new work and discuss the craft. Ugh, she’s the BEST. That’s my booski. So, I’m thrilled to share that we’re going to be teach an online seminar together on Sunday, April 27th at 3pm! And you’re welcome to join. Click here to learn more! Also, there are scholarships available! Okay, bye.
It's Hard Work Being a Person

Jan 20, 2025 | saeedjones.substack.com | Saeed Jones

I spent my morning with high school students at Exeter Academy today, reading from my work-in-progress Home Out There. It was a joy, in particular, to discuss my research on Langston Hughes. Young people are very honest; if they aren’t interested, they don’t hide it. It meant a lot to see that they were so focused on what I had to share with them. I understand there’s some kind of event happening in Washington DC today, but that’s none of my business. I have work to do, as do you.
‘We Are a Determined Household’

Dec 29, 2024 | tricycle.org | Saeed Jones

At some point every December when I was growing up, my mother would set down the newspaper she was reading or mute the episode of Oprah she was watching and look over at me. “Saeed, have you written your determinations yet?” she’d say. “No, mom, not yet,” I’d reply, knowing she was about to say what she said every year. “We don’t make resolutions in this house; we make determinations.”I’d watch her, bemused, even as I felt my teenaged skepticism giving way to her persuasive earnestness.
I’ve been thinking about “woke.”

Dec 19, 2024 | saeedjones.substack.com | Saeed Jones

I’ve been thinking about Republican and/or fascist strategies. And about how the strategies themselves are a form of communication. My wondering led me to confront my feelings about “woke.” I’ll be honest; I’ve avoided using the term or taking it seriously, in any way, for years now. I find it… well, annoying. But that’s just me. I was not going to jump in front of a discursive bus to defend “woke.” Now, though… well, I’m still not going to do that. LOL.
Joy in the dark is a candle.

Dec 13, 2024 | saeedjones.substack.com | Saeed Jones

I don’t feel good about our country, and I don’t wish I our country well. That’s a worrisome set of feelings considering that—like many of you, and many of the people I care about—I live inside this country. But it is how I feel. Like I’ve said before, I’m asking more questions these days because I don’t have many answers. Or, more accurately, I’m suspicious of answers that feel easy. Especially my own. How can I trust what I know when I’m surprised in the worst way so often?
Some Quick Notes Toward The Holidays

Nov 25, 2024 | saeedjones.substack.com | Saeed Jones

You don’t owe anyone your presence. If your absence from the holiday table is a political act, don’t assume your silence communicates your politics. Tell them why. “I don’t break bread with people just attempted to poison me.”If you step away from people who have betrayed you, step toward people who work to keep you and others safe. Show up for people who show up for you. We swerve; we don’t vanish. Let your joy be instructive.
Memoirs I'm Reading with My Students

Nov 20, 2024 | saeedjones.substack.com | Saeed Jones

I’ll probably go into more detail about these books later, but for now: I thought I’d share the books I’ve assigned this semester for my class. My students and I are using them to learn about craft and to have a conversation about how the memoir functions within systems of power. Memoir isn’t just about memory; it’s about using fictive tools to enrich our relationship with reality. At least, it can enrich our relationship with reality if that’s the writer’s goal and the reader’s goal.