Carlos Antonio Piñón performing an essay during the BFAW Show at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2017 at the LeRoy Neiman Center.
When I began my undergraduate degree at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, my roots were in concrete and visual poetry. I focused heavily on writing on the page—or rather, all over the page. As my time in the writing program progressed, I found myself experimenting in all kinds of craft. I really wanted to learn as much about writing every way I could. Outside of school, however, thanks to invitations from my high school english teacher and mentor, Andy Fine, I often found myself at a local storytelling show run by Jeremy Owens called You're Being Ridiculous. I quickly became interested in the live aspect of storytelling—so much so that I went on to perform on the show myself, as well as write nonfiction essays for my thesis. Since then, I've written more nonfiction essays—in fact, I even pursued an MFA in Nonfiction Writing at Columbia College Chicago—and it's become the heart of my writing practice.
Below are several nonfiction essays for your reading pleasure:
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Another Prodigal Son - 11/15/18: On death, family, and love—an open letter to my father. |
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Coming Clean - 5/31/13: This is the first time I said it, the first time I understood it—this is my manifesto. |
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Gesture & Body Language - 5/25/18: How I had the talk with my parents at the age of 22 after meeting my boyfriend. |
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Grace, Us, Adíos - 5/12/17: My dad, my brother, and God—and how none of us are on the same page. |
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Husk - 5/12/17: Shaving, swimming, and shirts vs. skins—yes, that's my body. |
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Life is Ridiculous & So Am I - 5/12/17: How I wrote four nonfiction essays for my undergraduate thesis at SAIC. |
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Mineral Point: Becoming Part of a History - 12/7/15: Exploring Mineral Point, Wisconsin while celebrating SAIC's 150th anniversary. |
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Mushrooming - 11/5/18: Inspiring real change through art and writing—and why I want to be a teacher. |
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Red Pants - 5/12/17: Gay evolution, or how I let a piece of clothing define me. |
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Something to Fear - 5/12/17: Getting robbed, dodging bullets, and having a gun pulled to my face—yeah, I thought I was going to die. |
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The Bike Courier - 3/8/19: The summer I worked as much as I played while not getting paid very much. |
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This Is My Purpose - 11/30/12: A sneak peek into my portfolio from 2012 when I was accepted at art school. |
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This One Goes Out To... - 8/8/13: All the things we want to do before we know what we have to be. |
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True North - 4/19/13: Who are you fighting for? The importance of having mentors and being inspired. |
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Why I Write - 3/10/15: Everything writing helped me understand—and what I hope to contribute. |
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Being Then/Emerging Now - 4/29/19: Finding new meaning in old art work simply by remembering. |
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Five Years of Paper Dreams - 3/29/19: Looking back at my very first book and the process of making it happen. |
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Keep Reading Me - 6/24/19: Getting over that first art block and creating a legacy as an amateur creator. |
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Misprints - 5/6/16: The making of a year-long project, its inspirations, and the execution. |
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Revisiting Rainbow Road - 2/2/19: How an art school assignment became a personal homage to childhood. |
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Rotating and Orbiting Again - 5/30/19: Making, remaking, and unmaking the same art piece over and over. |
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Still Longing - 8/21/19: Finding inspiration for your masterpiece in someone else's work. |
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Website Archives - 7/10/19: A step-by-step description of how my website has evolved since 2011. |
