Occupation: Writer, Teacher, MFA Candidate Instagram: @daniellesinay Where were you born? I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California! What is unique about your work? Other than aggressively abusing parenthetical? I think my honesty and willingness to discuss what nobody wants to. My writing is very personal; I tend to address women’s rights and gender equality, ie. sexual-assault, body image, general fury towards the patriarchy…. And nobody wants to hear it. But I discovered a loophole! I disguise said tragic issues as some form of twisted humor and self-deprecation, and it makes people laugh (because people are disturbing), distracting them just enough to get them to pay attention. If all goes well, maybe they’ll learn something. Or just laugh at me. Whatever. OMG see, I abused a parenthetical. Why do you do what you do? I’ve loved writing since I was a baby; I came out the womb with a quill pen. Just kidding. But really, I have loved writing since I was a very tiny human. It all began when I wrote my first ‘novel’ in third grade. It was called ‘The Valentine’s Locket,” and I’ve been sentenced to the life of a writer ever since. Is it lame to say I feel like I “have to?” Because I really do. Especially now with the internet, writing is a more powerful medium than ever. Anything an artist or writer produces is accessible within minutes. If you’re like me and have a specific message you want to get out there - you can, everywhere, immediately. I think people take that for granted. But it’s so cool, and makes it all worth it. What inspires you? The women in my life. My sister, my mom, my grandma, and all of my best friends. They inspire me to be better, to work harder, to love myself. Because if they can do it, so can I. (I can’t be the disappointing friend who ends up looking the worst in group photos.) Describe your personal style. According to my friend Jessica: “A cross between a fifteen year old Brandy Melville model and a soccer mom from Connecticut.” I concur. Your ultimate must-have. AQUAPHOR. It’s a life-saver. And I’m sure if I was stranded on an island on the verge of death I could eat it or something. Should I have said a book? That would just be a lie though. I’m sorry. You can read the label. I’m a fraud. What superpower would you have and why? Egg-frying, party-planning, eating 20+ chicken wings and not dying. Because those are the things I am best at. And maybe hearing my dogs’ thoughts, which I am not good at, but would like to be. What is next for you? I’m graduating with my Master’s in Creative Nonfiction next week(!) so I’ll go through the post-grad-freak out for a month or two. I’ll keep writing, of course, and hopefully go back to teaching. My ultimate goal is to become a college professor, but in the meantime, I’d love to keep working with kids. …And eventually make the questionable life choice of pursuing a PhD.
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