NYCHA’s Own LaToya Jordan Is Among the Best
NYCHA writer LaToya Jordan, in the Department of Communications, recently learned that her work was listed among the 100 best essays of the year in the highly regarded anthology “Best American Essays for 2016.”
Many readers of The NYCHA Journal have enjoyed Ms. Jordan’s writing without knowing it, since there are no bylines. But when her name appeared on the prestigious listing of highly recommended works, it was there for all to see.
“I knew someone had submitted the essay for consideration, but I didn’t know anything else until I saw a posting on Facebook,” Ms. Jordan said. When she did, a small yelp was heard in the Department of Communications’ area.
The essay, titled “After Striking a Fixed Object,” recounts the physical and emotional trauma from a car accident that left a small scar on Ms. Jordan’s face at the age of 19.
“I knew that I wanted to write about the event at some point,” Ms. Jordan said, “and after I read an essay by a friend that also dealt with a deeply personal matter, I decided the time was right.”
Being an involved mother of a 4-year-old daughter and coming home after demanding days at work hasn’t prevented Ms. Jordan from pursuing her other goals as a writer.
“I’m a member of a writers’ group in Brooklyn that meets to support and critique each other’s work, and that helps to keep me motivated,” Ms. Jordan said. “Completing this essay allowed me to deal with a personal event in my life in a way that I hope other people can relate to and learn from. It feels really good to have the work recognized along with some of the best writers in the country.”
Ms. Jordan, who is also the author of a book of poetry, “Thick-Skinned Sugar,” is at work on a novel tentatively titled “What the Body Remembers.” To see her essay, go to: http://themanifeststation. net/2015/07/22/after-strikinga-fixed-object/.
