Frankie Reads and Writes

A few folks have asked me to share how I came to write a book. My journey, as can always be expected, was not linear; it’s hard to pinpoint its true start.

Did I become a writer when I precociously dictated an Easter play to my mom and then produced, directed, and starred in my adaptation? OR, did I become a writer at 13 when I joined the Fanfiction community to write Harry Potter, Lost, and Titanic vignettes? OR, did I become a writer when I took creative writing courses during my study abroad year? OR, did I become a writer when I churned out jokes doing stand-up in Korea and Texas? OR, did I become a writer last March when I began working on my debut novel, The Geography of Wanting? OR, did I become a writer when I wrote ‘The End’ at the completion of my manuscript? Or, or, or, or, or, or…

Then the inner saboteur that lives in the deep recesses of my brain speaks to my insecurities and refutes those instances with thoughts like, “I won’t truly be an author until I’m published” or “I won’t truly be a writer until I earn my MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing”. But I try and shove that voice away as often as I can (essential for the writing process).

No matter where my origin story began or what my publishing future looks like, I can at least speak to where I am with my writing now. As I mentioned, last March I opened up my laptop and stared at the blinking cursor until I wrote my first line: ”I opened my eyes against my will, too heartbroken and hungover to want to exist another day.” Before the afternoon was over, I had an introduction to…well, I wasn’t quite sure yet. What started as an unfortunate trip down memory lane blossomed into a heartfelt, vulnerable, emotional, and most importantly, fictionalized version of who I once was. 

Drawing heavily from my years studying and living abroad, I created ‘Jackie’, whose one fervent desire is to feel accepted. Her problem? Well, she has several including a deepening dependence on alcohol and a lackluster savings account, but her most demanding problem that she can’t recognize is her subconscious insistence that she can only be validated by others. 

At first, I stuck closely to what I knew. Jackie, like I once did, studies abroad in Perugia, Italy. She travels to places I’ve been, and has adventures that contain faint echoes of my own. However, as the months passed, Jackie’s arc began to take on her own highs and lows, her own dramas and dreams.

I owe part of my newfound flexibility to Jackie’s story to my ‘Writing and Publishing’ graduate program at Emerson College, which I began this past fall. Suddenly, the eyes on Jackie and her story were unfamiliar ones to my own history, and I relished the feedback I received in writing workshops. Ultimately, my classmates helped me see Jackie not as a kind of extension of myself, but as a fully realized main character in her own right. 

The day I finished my novel was anticlimactic. I am not sure if I expected confetti to fall from the ceiling of my home office, trumpets to blare from the condo parking lot, or even just a flood of ‘Congratulations!’ coming through via text on my phone. It was none of those things. My novel was quietly, cautiously, finished by doing what I had been doing all along: plugging away at the story.

I also have several pieces of exciting news to share. First, Emerson has made it possible for me to attend  The Association of Writers and Writing Programs Annual Conference, held in Baltimore this year. I have submitted a query letter and the first five pages of my novel to a host of agents that will be attending the conference–if they like what they see they will set up a time for us to meet! Even if that opportunity does not come to fruition, the conference is going to be an incredible experience for me.

I will continue to edit and refine my novel, with the help of Dan Weaver, Editor in Residence at Emerson, and his editing class, who recently chose my novel to be at the heart of their work next semester. I am looking forward to the kind of in-depth feedback that has propelled other students from this course to publish at major publishing houses. 

I would say I am not letting my dreams get away from me, but who am I kidding? I am still the five year old who believes they deserve a Tony for ‘The Easter Bunny Is Coming’. In my head, I daydream about making the NYT Bestseller list, being selected for Reese Witherspoon’s book club, and, of course, having my novel made into a movie. Conversely, on a bad day, I consider throwing the whole thing in the trash. 

Regardless of what my novel’s future holds, I have come to realize that, perhaps, I have always been a writer after all.

If I had the power to influence you to do just one thing, it would be to join a book club. As someone in not one, not two, but three book clubs, I feel as if I have become a bit of an authority on the many merits of belonging to them.

First, did you know that reading for pleasure in the United States is at a historic low? An August 2025 study conducted by the University of Florida and University College London found that, “reading for pleasure in the United States has declined by more than 40% in the last 20 years”. Reading itself has a number of benefits including boosting mental health, sustaining and cultivating empathy, increasing curiosity, creativity, and lifelong learning. Yet many who haven’t picked up a book in a while have no idea where to start. Joining a book club can be the perfect remedy for accountability and community. 

In fact, that’s how the SideBar Book Club got its start back in 2020. Some friends and I were all hanging around the pool one day when someone asked one of my favorite questions, “What are you reading?”. It was the kind of discussion I had been longing to be a part of again after social distancing had isolated me from most of my friends. Long after the conversation subsided, the coziness of it lingered and I wasn’t the only one who thought so–that night, my friend announced he wanted to get back into reading more regularly and the idea of creating a book club to encourage us to keep reading and get quality time on the calendar once a month had formed. Though there were just three founding members, our club has expanded to seven members and has celebrated three weddings and welcomed a baby into the world. 

Our club rotates its host every month, with the person hosting selecting two books that the rest of the group votes on. In the event of a tie, the host will choose between the two. In our five years as a book club, we have read 37 books together, meeting all over the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Not only have we read some incredible books (aaaand some truly terrible ones too), but it has guaranteed that quality time that I don’t get to have with so many other friends because we are able to ‘set it and forget it’ on the calendar. 

My other two book clubs are sponsored by local libraries, which have offered an opportunity to engage with members of my community I otherwise would never have met. Though both are library-sponsored, the two book clubs could not be more different.

The Agawam Public Library hosts ‘Read with Pride’ for members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies. Not to be too on the nose, but I was so very proud to join this group! Unfortunately, my town is extremely conservative, so the fact that my library was willing to run this club was HUGE. I remember making sure I was at the first meeting just in case someone from the town tried to cause trouble. Luckily, this awesome group of queer folks and allies has kept on keeping on for the last two years with minimal incidents! 

Every six months, we submit ideas for books and movies to the incredible librarians that run our group. From there, we vote for our favorite picks and then the list is released for our next six months of choices. I would say for every four books or so, we pick a movie, which can be fun as well!

Overall, I enjoy this club not only because it can be hard to make new friends as an adult, but also because it is one of the only identified safe havens in my town for queer folks.

Finally, the West Springfield Public Library hosts ‘Books and Brews’ at a local brewery for the beer lovers with book problems! This club is a great place to meet new people, as it often boasts 20+ attendees in only its second year. More on the informal side, this club doesn’t mind if you didn’t read the book, use raised fingers to show star ratings, and often is accompanied by the din of the other bar flies. Books are chosen at the end of each meeting, as members shout over each other to offer their recommendations.

At this point, I don’t have to sell you on why I’m a fan of book clubs, but that everyone should be. Beyond the friendships, the local connections, and the beers, book clubs constantly expand my worldview. Books are windows and mirrors into different human experiences and hearing my peers’ reflections helps me see beyond my own echo chamber. In a country divided by politics, plagued by misinformation, and comment sections full of misspelled vitriol, I truly believe book clubs have the power to change minds and hearts. As Mark Twain wrote, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” In these financially trying times, I would assert that, for those of us who cannot afford a quick trip overseas these days, reading together is equally as powerful.