IN THIS EPISODE
Writer and teacher Kaya Oakes offers a selection from a memoir by Richard Rodriguez. She shares her own essay about Medieval mystical women who teach us that even in midlife we can defy confinement and find ways to remain creative.
WRITING PROMPT Think about a time when you were somehow constrained by your role at home, at work, in your family. What were the limitations? Were there also opportunities in that role that perhaps you could not see at the time?
Write about how you continued to find satisfaction despite a “confinement.” Write about how God gave you the ability then and now to create, whether it was new relationships, novel endeavors, new insights into your life, or artistic work.
About the Guest
Writer Kaya Oakes teaches nonfiction writing at the University of California, Berkeley. She is the author of four books, including Slanted and Enchanted: The Evolution of Indie Culture, Radical Reinvention: An Unlikely Return to the Catholic Church, and The Nones Are Alright: A New Generation of Seekers, Believers, and Those In-Between. is a regular contributor to publications such as The New Republic, Slate, The Guardian, America, Commonweal, On Being, National Catholic Reporter, US Catholic, The Washington Post, Sojourners. She has appeared on NPR, the CBC, and on many podcasts. She lives in Oakland, California, where she was born and raised.