PEN/Faulkner was lucky to be a Featured Organization at the 25th annual National Book Festival this year, and we had a terrific time greeting hundreds and hundreds of attendees at our booth. Book lovers of all ages took the opportunity to respond to the following three writing prompts we offered, writing a collective story that captured the spirit of the festival.
Prompt #1: Describe where you feel most at home.
For many of our storytellers, the place they feel most at home seems to be… home. “At home I am calm,” one wrote. “I feel safe at home,” wrote another. Some even got specific about which places they felt most comfortable. The couch was one popular location, often accompanied by a book or a videogame. The bedroom was another, especially when cuddling with furry companions.
Pets, in fact, were the most popular signs of home: “I feel most at home cuddling with my doggie while watching TV,” one person wrote, while another suggested there was nothing more homey than “snuggling with my two perfect cats.”
For a few storytellers, locations outside of home were important. “At the park,” wrote one person, while another answered “at the beach with my family.” Others got more specific, citing (among other locations) DC’s Lincoln Park and Crotone, Italy.
For some folks, feeling at home wasn’t about a place, but an activity. Several, unsurprisingly, focused on reading: “I feel the most at home at the library,” wrote one person. “Sitting on the porch swing with a good book,” wrote another. Travel and music were also popular. One storyteller feels most at home “on a train,” while another celebrated “listening to 1990s-2000s R&B in my car.” An archeologist said she felt most at home “in the dirt,” while a sports fan derived comfort from “playing queer kickball.” For one young person, home was “wherever there’s water, dancing, or good food.”
Several people suggested that home is where the heart is: not a physical space, but being surrounded by loved ones. For many that meant family: “at my grandma’s house,” for example, and “when I’m with my immediate family and my son.” Others were focused on friendships, feeling at home “hanging out in my college room with my friends.”
Perhaps the most moving stories about home, however, were written by a few philosophically-minded attendees: “I feel most at home when I’m happy or at peace,” one suggested. “Right here, right now,” wrote another… and wouldn’t that be a lovely way for us all to feel at home? We think so.
Prompt #2: Share something someone told you that you have never forgotten.
Storytellers responded to our second prompt with kindness, clarity, and hard-won wisdom in equal measure. Among the most popular responses were those focused on positivity: “Love is love,” one person reminded us, while another shared that “kindness is a chain reaction.”
Several folks wanted to offer words of support, a few of which broke our hearts a bit. “All sun makes a desert,” one kind soul offered, “so enjoy the rain.” Another reminded us to “slow down, but keep going,” while a kindred spirit wrote “Don’t give up on life, no matter how hard it gets.”
A few people offered thoughts about self-care, including this gem: “No one will take better care of you than you.” One shared a piece of advice from her big sister: “Don’t dim your light so that others can shine.” Others offered comfort in the face of mistakes: “Doing your best is the thing you should be most proud of,” wrote one person, while another reminded us that “It’s okay that you messed up. Just don’t blame others for it.”
A couple of respondents offered what seems like sage business advice: “Never excel at anything you don’t want to do,” one suggested. Others offered thoughts about remembering your worth as a human being: “Your energy is a luxury item—not everyone can afford it.”
A few, finally, were a bit more philosophical and introspective: “You are who you are,” one young person wrote, “when no one is looking.” Another reminded us that “wherever you go, there you are.” And one wanted to make sure that other readers remained humble: “Knowing is knowing,” they wrote. “You know nothing.”
Prompt #3: Tell us about a family tradition.
In response to our third prompt, a few storytellers focused on time with family: “going to the beach on the Fourth of July,” wrote one, while another wrote about “spontaneous trips to DC on school nights, [when] we’d pack up the car and explore the city after hours.”
For several of those folks, family traditions were also connected to food: “Sunday meatballs at Yaya’s,” one person celebrated, while another remembered “every December we drink horchata.” Some noted family traditions that ranged from the spiritual to the esoteric. One shared that every month a family member “puts some money from their salary in the piggy bank, and we buy old with that money at Diwali,” while another celebrated the fact that “every night before going to bed we would always say ‘burnt olive branch.’”
Several storytellers focused on birthdays. One remembered that her mother “makes a plate for my late great-grandmother on every birthday we celebrate.” Another celebrated a “balloon toss birthday wakeup,” and one shared that their family “adds an extra candle to the birthday cake for good luck.”
Food, perhaps unsurprisingly, was central to several traditions. “On Superbowl Sunday,” one person wrote, “I make fun bar food to eat in front of the TV, then I read during the game.” One person shared their tradition of “celebratory cheese plate tastings,” while another enjoyed “Valentine’s Day cheese boards.” (Cheese was big!)
The lion’s share of the family traditions we learned about, however, were focused on holidays, starting with Thanksgiving. “We watch the dog show,” one storyteller said, while another’s family enjoyed “mini-golf every Thanksgiving morning.” Then there were “Thanksgiving leftover calzones,” and we would like to request that recipe for sure.
Christmas traditions included a parade of different foods as well: hallacas, cinnamon rolls, piragi, tamales, and brisket, just to name a few. Fun and games abounded as well. One person shared a tradition of “playing board games on Christmas and getting so into it that we yell for two hours.” Another shared that “every Christmas we do a puzzle competition. It takes hours, but it’s fun to work together as a family.”
New Year’s Eve was popular, too, and again, food played a big role. “We eat 12 grapes during the New Year’s Eve countdown,” one person wrote, while another noted a tradition of “eating 12 dragon egg rolls.” A few folks enjoyed “watching a movie on New Year’s Eve,” and two different respondents shared that “every year we run outside with our suitcases to bring in more travel in the new year.”
Our favorite family tradition, however, was one we played a small part in celebrating: attending the National Book Festival. “My Mom and I come here every year,” a young woman told us. “Six years and counting.”