Janet Malcolm Told Him: 'You Betrayed Journalism'
Sheon Han on writing as an ‘attentive form of existence'
I taught my last class of the academic quarter last week (summer does not officially start on my campus until mid-June, and even later for those of us still grading). Hoping to send students off on a high note—despite everything feeling so upsetting right now—I invited journalist Sheon Han to Zoom in and talk about having a writing life. Sheon published his first freelance piece in 2021, and since then his writing has appeared in The New Yorker, WIRED, The Atlantic, The New York Times Magazine, and many more.
It wasn’t until our discussion with Sheon ended that I realized how much some students needed to hear his advice. Truly talented young writers have watched other classmates find jobs, get into grad schools, receive awards, or land freelance assignments with major publications. Meanwhile, their job and internship applications have been met with rejections or silence. Some have found themselves rooting for their friends—while also comparing themselves, wondering: Am I even good enough?
Even those of us who are veterans recognize this kind of envy and self-doubt. I love how Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Senior offers such an honest note about envy in her 2022 reported essay, “It’s Your Friends Who Break Your Heart.” She includes a scene about her close friend Bob Kolker and his book, Hidden Valley Road, being selected by Oprah. Senior writes of “the cramped quarters of my ego, crudely bound together with bubble gum and Popsicle sticks.” Was his achievement as amazing as she told him? “No, it wasn’t. I wanted, briefly, to die.”
Sheon’s visit, several students told me after class, helped remind them of why they want to write. Professional envy can bring on feelings of insecurity. But it can also fuel writers to identify and sharpen their ideas of what they want. Sheon’s drive and passion for magazine storytelling resonated. He is a writer based in Palo Alto, California, and today he is sharing some guidance he gave to the class with you—along with answering a few bonus questions for The Reported Essay.
A Podcast Episode
I will be posting more good stuff in this newsletter throughout the summer. In the meantime, I wanted to drop this link to a podcast interview I did recently for the Institute for Independent Journalists and its Freelance Journalism Podcast, also available on Apple Podcasts. It’s with Isabelle Kohn, a senior editor for Slate, who specializes in stories about sex, gender, relationships, and work. Happy to report that one of my students pitched Kohn after this interview—and landed an assignment.
I first connected to Isabelle and Sheon through this very newsletter. So thank you to both of them—and to all of you—for continuing to support my work and The Reported Essay.
I hope you enjoy this insightful Q&A with Sheon.
