top of page

Creative Work

White-Deer_Chesanek_2-1400x1077.jpeg

Litro Magazine


'White Deer'

First place winner of The Art of Reflection Competition 2022


I was ten when my father first spoke of the deer. He sat at the dining room table, a cup of hot coffee out in front of him, steam floating under his chin. It was autumn, the morning air was cold, the house drafty with the scent of dead leaves. My father’s eyes, a royal blue, were glowing as he talked about the deer. I watched hunched over my oatmeal, the smell of maple all around me, brown sugar coated the back of my throat.

For the full essay, click here.

 

Oc87
Recovery Diaries

chesanek .png


'PTSD: The Unlikely Disease that Brought my Father and I Together'

If I’m crazy, then so was my father.

Growing up, I was always told I was a lot like him. It was true, I had inherited many of his traits: stubborn independence, obsessive drive, and effortless concealment of anxiety. I was close with my mom and sister, but everyone knew I was daddy’s little girl. I’d keep him company in the garage as he’d saw precious woods into various shapes and sizes, and I’d pile the sawdust into small mounds, pretending it was food for make-believe customers. We’d repeatedly watched Lady and the Tramp on VHS, my father always imitating the whistling beaver. I’d laugh every time he said the word “ttthhh-ycamore” between his teeth. He showed me how to ride a bike without training wheels when I was small, then later taught me to drive a car at age sixteen, my white knuckles clenched the steering wheel as tightly as they once did around the handlebars.

For the full essay, click here.

 

Feature Articles

BAM-store-photos-3.jpg
Electric Literature

Emma Straub on the Future of Indie Bookstores

The author of All Adults Here talks about her novel and the challenges of running a bookstore during lockdown
For full article, click here
luster-1-Photo-cred-FSG.jpg
PANK Magazine

[REVIEW] Luster by Raven Leilani

Raven Leilani’s Luster is a smart and bold exploration of self-worth and self-appreciation wriggled from a love triangle gone strange and a sense of urgency to understand the world around us.

For full review, click here.

chesanek-attenberg.jpeg
The Brooklyn Rail

Jami Attenberg’s I Came All This Way to Meet You: Writing Myself Home

 

Jami Attenberg’s (The Middlesteins) new memoir, I Came All This Way to Meet You: Writing Myself Home, is sort of a manifesto to the struggling writer. Well, at least it was for me. Each chapter explored the complications of pursuing creativity while getting knocked down in the process, both by the industry and by self-doubt, only to finally achieve some success and wonder what it all really means. 

For full article, click here

 
Just a sample of my work. To see more or discuss possible work >>
bottom of page