Often the world can seem clouded with disparity or despair. We’re taught not to make light of these dark situations, or even discuss them at all. But I hold the opposite view. What better way to bridge our differences and navigate dark times, than to honor the darkness and bring a little light? Share a good story that reflects our mutual experiences? Come together to smile, cry, and maybe even learn? When stories accomplish all of these things at once, we call them classics. They cross the boundaries of class, time, gender, geography, and heritage ,and call us for a short time to simply be human. They provide shelter from the storms of life and bring us comfort.

Shelters, however, deteriorate over time. So can words. The phrases a writer used four hundred years ago may not stand up to the test of time, but their story can. That’s the legacy I feel called to be a part of as a writer. To be the maintenance crew of a literary TARDIS, if you will, lifting previously marginalized voices and giving great tales a polish so the next generation can see their reflection and carry that torch on.