Questionable Caretaker

Kelly Jean
The All-American Aversion to Showing Weakness Does More Harm Than Good

I didn’t imagine that leaving New York to go take care of my parents for the summer would be easy. It never occurred to me, however, that the hardest part would be making the Floridians around us wear masks.

Here, doing the one thing that dramatically reduces COVID-19 transmission is often viewed as acting like a “liberal baby.” This is a rub because the cultural pressure to not show weakness is how my family got in this mess.

Click here to read about Days 1-10 of my caretaking adventures on Medium.

First Day of Summerfuel!

Kelly Jean

Excited to virtually meet my Session I students today for Summerfuel Virtual’s online college admissions preparation program.

Working with high schoolers to find the “special sauce” of their personal story helps us see the similarities we all share.

A valuable lesson right now and always.

Click here for more info on the College Admissions Essay Writing Course I’m teaching and how to sign up for future sessions.

Summer Coaching Special

Kelly Jean

“Ms. Kelly Jean was a thoughtful and dedicated writing coach. She helped us open up by being honest and open with us.”

Click here to read more testimonials.

The college admissions process is stressful even in the best of times.

Have or know a high school student looking for support as they write their college admissions essays?

Contact me at kjfitzsimmons@gmail.com to learn more about this special summer coaching package for 1, 2, or 3 students.

Working together makes things more social, plus they get to split the fee!

Sharing In Each Other’s Stories

Kelly Jean

Sunday’s online workshops continue all summer at 4 pm. Today, take a look at the world through the eyes of this Claudia Rankine poem. Then we’ll explore second-person POV as a way to express all that people are seeing and feeling right now.

Want to join us? Email kjfitzsimmons@gmail.com to be added to my weekly newsletter.

Interested in helping your students, team members, or community share their personal experiences and perspectives in a creative way? Contact me about designing a 90-min online workshop to best fit your needs.

If you or your organization have been impacted by COVID-19, I am able to offer a limited number of complimentary workshops.

First come, first serve. Please contact me to book one or if you have any questions.

Newtown Literary

Kelly Jean
Honored to be on editorial review board at Newtown Literary.

We here at Newtown Literary stand against racism and injustice of any kind. We honor George Floyd and countless others who have paid the price of white supremacy with their lives, many in New York City. We acknowledge the life-and-death nature of this situation. #BlackLivesMatter is a universal truth. Black people have the same rights as everyone else, and we condemn the abhorrent act of disregarding anyone’s right to life and liberty based on the color of their skin. The rights to learn, create, and succeed in the literary community fall under this banner.

Read the full statement on Newtown Literary’s Facebook page.

College Admissions Essay Writing

Kelly Jean

Understanding the role of the college application essay is the first step toward writing one with punch.

Thrilled to announce that I am an instructor with Summerfuel Virtual helping high school students identify what aspects of their character they want to bring forth in their college essays.

Looking for support during the college admissions process? This online workshop is a tremendous way for students from all over the world to connect by sharing in each other’s experiences.

Learn more about Summerfuel’s Virtual Campus here.

I’m also available for private and semi-private (if your student wants to buddy up with a friend!) coaching.

Contact me at kjfitzsimmons@gmail.com to set up your free 30-min consultation.

Happy Eight Years!

Kelly Jean

Nothing informs your story like hearing someone else perform your story!

Celebrate eight-years of No, YOU Tell It! on May 8th with this special look at last year’s Lambda Literary team-up show by filmmaker Ariel Mahler.

Leave a comment on the featurette on our NYTI page by 11:59 pm (Cinderella time!) for a chance to win a $100 Bookseller’s Choice Book Bundle from The Astoria Bookshop.

Listen to story swaps from our live shows on the No, YOU Tell It! podcast at noyoutellit.com (available on iTunes, AudioBoom, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts).

Bonus! In support of DP TV and sharing in each other’s stories, if we receive over 80 new likes and/or follows on our No, YOU Tell It! Facebook page and Instagram we will donate $100 to our friends at Dixon Place.

We Heart Astoria

Kelly Jean

Lovely to have my creative writing class at The Astoria Bookshop (now online!) featured on We Heart Astoria.

We had three lovely sessions yesterday. Contact me at kjfitzsimmons@gmail.com to sign-up for future Sundays.

I’m also running a special this May on semi-private coaching.

Workshop Creator Scholarship

Kelly Jean

Grateful and thrilled to be awarded a scholarship for the May cohort of the Workshop Creator program run by Wavetable!

Transitioning my work online is a need as I struggle to regain my livelihood. However, I want to design engaging and openhearted virtual workshops that help high school students tell their stories for college application essays in an authentic voice.

Personal storytelling is essential right now as a way for students to connect by sharing in each other’s experiences.

Click here to learn more about Wavetable and how to join us in May.