Mallory Hellman (she/her) has served as the Director of the Iowa Youth Writing Project since 2015. Prior to that, she received an MFA in fiction from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and a BA in English and American Literature from Harvard. Mallory’s nonfiction has appeared in Tuesday Magazine, Forbes, and elsewhere. She has taught creative writing at the University of Iowa, the Duke University Talent Identification Program, and at K-12 schools, community centers, residential rehabilitation facilities, and shelters throughout the Midwest. In 2015, she received a Bravo Award from the Coralville Chamber of Commerce for outstanding community engagement and leadership.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
I’m naturally an early riser. Over the years, I’ve learned to embrace that tendency and fill mornings with my most sacred practices, the ones that can least afford to be disrupted by other obligations or people. Usually, this means my mornings see some combination of writing and movement, with mindful outdoor time splashed in when Iowa weather permits.
Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way has been a formative text in my development as a writer, so every morning (when I’m behaving) begins with her suggested practice of “morning pages” – three handwritten, stream-of-consciousness pages, penned into a notebook or journal. After pages, I practice yoga or go for a run. If it’s gardening season, my tomatoes and the beguiling chipmunks who constantly stalk them will get the remainder of my attention until the work day begins.
I work fully in-person, which helps me immerse myself joyously in the Iowa Youth Writing Project when I’m at the office or in the field, leaving my personal practices for the hours before and after work.
Evenings tend to see me in community. Most of the boards and civic organizations in which I’m involved do their work during the evening, and when I’m not in meetings, I am rigorously committed to spending time with friends and loved ones. I’m an artist who finds inspiration among the living–particularly other artists–even if we’re just cooking together or dancing in the living room. At heart, my productivity is dependent on the authentic cultivation of joy.
How do you bring ideas to life?
It’s a much less romantic process than it seems! Like so many of us, I tend to dismiss my ideas as unoriginal or undeserving after a too-short honeymoon period; I have to force myself to stick with them for long enough to see whether they’ll blossom. At the IYWP, I do this with the help of an encouraging and highly creative team–in my own writing practice, well, it’s just me and the endless monster of self-doubt.
What’s one trend that excites you?
Charcuterie boards. People make them out of everything these days! And I dig that – it’s not about the capicola or the vegan cheese or even the fancy little dried figs that no one else can find. Charcuterie is an invitation to be present. A commitment to offscreen reality. An extended exercise in touch and taste, shape and sensation. A reminder that everything, even a snack, can be art.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
I schedule my time relentlessly. Even things like showers and workouts. Otherwise, I’ll spend all my working hours struggling over what to prioritize.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Take the time to learn what well-being means to you, and then fight like hell to protect it. No one else, even those who love you most, can be guardians of your time or your heart.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you.
Trees have feelings.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Speak to a therapist.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
The hardest part is to remember not to rush. Usually, when I experience overwhelm, it’s
because I’ve tried to pack too much into a short period or am being pulled in too many directions. In moments like that, taking the time for a brief walk, some music, or breathing tends to feel like an impossible luxury, so I work to remind myself that those little resets will ultimately save me time.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
As badly as I wanted to, I was unable to draft a novel during graduate school. Ultimately, the failure came down to the way I managed my time. Because “just writing” seemed impossibly cold, I deprioritized the steadiness of my process in favor of continuously seeking inspiration, which took me on a potent roller coaster of inspired frenzy and hopeless block. Those years taught me that, as magical as the writing process can (and should!) feel, consistency is the ritual that reliably leads to creative fruit.
What is the best $100 you recently spent?
I recently purchased tickets to see the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, featuring Wynton Marsalis. Someone once told me that all writers secretly long to be musicians, and for my part, I can’t disagree. I was raised on jazz, funk, and classic rock, and music plays a sacramental part in my creative process and my day-to-day life. Should I ever go broke, it will be on account of purchasing too many concert tickets.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast from which you’ve received much value?
Richard Powers’ stunning novel The Overstory changed me fundamentally. I’ve always been a passionate environmentalist, but The Overstory goes beyond raising awareness and reaches the Platonic ideal of what a novel can do: it reshaped and re-sharpened my sensibilities around a thing I thought I already knew. This novel, in the parlance of Emily Dickinson, took the top of my head off. I won’t spoil it by saying more.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
This isn’t a new series (mea culpa), but I find myself returning time and again to Six Feet Under. The show originally aired during a formative period of my life–I was 15-20 years old–and many of my narrative habits were crafted after its mastery. A polyvocal tour de force, Six Feet Under is an exemplar of raw and palpably believable dialogue, careful character building, and supreme narrative tension. I recommend it to writers in any medium.