Author: Jackie Pick

Jackie Pick is a former teacher and current writer living in the Chicago area. She is a contributing author to multiple anthologies, including Multiples Illuminated, So Glad They Told Me: Women Get Real about Motherhood, Here in the Middle, as well as the and the literary magazines The Sun and Selfish. She received Honorable Mention from the Mark Twain House and Museum for her entry in the Royal Nonesuch Humor Writing Competition. Jackie is a contributing writer at Humor Outcasts, and her essays have been featured on various online sites including McSweeney's, Belladonna Comedy, Mamalode, The HerStories Project, and Scary Mommy. A graduate of the University of Chicago and Northwestern University, Jackie is co-creator and co-writer of the award-winning short film Fixed Up, and a proud member of the 2017 Chicago cast of Listen To Your Mother.

A Bevy of Secondary Characters Walk into a Bar: The Messy Middle

· 2 Comments ·

I’m finally moving on from the Barrel of Chaotic Monkeys that is plot focus and jumping into  the Barrel of Different Chaotic Monkeys that is character focus

Eight drafts and three years later. That’s a lot. I was trying to fit the whole world into a book. (Pro tip – don’t do that.) At first, I wanted to pour my hurt into it. Then I wanted to pour my hope into it. Now I just want to pour the truth into it. That’s the only thing that works.

It’s also the best way to have fun.

(more…)

Nice People and Bags of Hate

· 1 Comment ·

I have one of those faces.

It stretches and moves and sometimes lets everyone know exactly what I’m thinking.

But sometimes it makes people think I’m upset when I’m just thinking about tacos. Tacos do not make me upset.

My face does stuff is what I’m saying, although it’d be super if folks mixed things up and focused on my cankles.

(more…)