Conversations with Hillary Leftwich

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hillary Leftwich.

Hi Hillary, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born and raised in Colorado Springs, CO and experienced a lot of trauma as a teenager growing up in a town where Colorado For Family Values and Focus on the Family both established themselves in the early 80s along with their hate rhetoric. I moved to Denver with my son in 2006 and felt isolated–I had a hard time finding a support system within the writing communities while simultaneously being shunned by parent groups as a single mother.

Eventually, I found writers in the community who were very willing to support me, and it was a total turnaround.

This, in turn, motivated me to give back to my communities as well in various ways. I found that the same topics and voices of many writers in academia and others that I wrote about were regarded as not good writing (because at the time I didn’t have a college degree and certainly not an MFA, just a high school diploma) was something that others wanted to read–that others connected with.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Shunning, cliques, struggles of working multiple jobs while raising my son on my own, my son having a severe neurological condition, which, turns out, is what I wound up writing a lot about, as well as just feeling lost and alone.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have recently gravitated toward working with youth via Art From Ashes–a local nonprofit that works with struggling youth, as well as Lighthouse Writers and their youth programs.

The teenagers and young adults I share space with — selfishly — keep me humble and in check (especially when the ego in writing is so prevalent).

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Keeping your ego in check via unabashed teenagers who are relentless with their reactions to your writing.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.hillaryleftwich.com
• Instagram: @HillaryLeftwich
• Facebook: Hillary Leftwich
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hillaryleftwich/
• Twitter: @HillaryLeftwich
• Other: www.alchemyauthorservices.com

Image Credits:
Jay Halsey