Julianna Hurtado
November 2021, preferred pronouns she/her

I didn't know, exactly, what I would work on while at Baldwin for the Arts. When I arrived I walked around and took everything in, the space and the beauty, and immediately knew I was in the presence of something wonderful. A place to be myself, to be alone with my writing and memory and soul, a place where I could safely get to the bottom of everything. There, it became clear what to write. I advanced two stories in my linked collection. I read and read and read. I made my hand sore from writing, and the callouses rise, for the first time in years. I spoke to my ancestors in my dreams and woke up with more things to tell them. I felt powerful and alive. Baldwin is a magical site, a portal to wherever you need to go with your art. I am forever grateful to have walked, and created, on its grounds.