K. Ibura

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K. Ibura is a writer, painter, and traveler from New Orleans, Louisiana. The middle child of five, she grew up in a hardscrabble neighborhood with oak and fig trees, locusts and mosquitoes, cousins and neighbors. K. Ibura's work delves into spheres of human liberation, human connection, and evolution. She employs speculative fiction and creative nonfiction to take readers through mind-bending journeys into the transcendent, the mystical, and the fantastic.

craft of writing

BlogKIS.listcompletion // craft of writing // following through // Frank Gaspar // MFA // Nancy Zafris // novel writing // novels // rejection/acceptance o'meter // story line // structure // themes // throughlines // workshops // writer struggles

Vol. 46, Novel Writing: A Marathon

Posted on 26 December 2004

Conversations with Writing Mentors Antioch University, Los Angeles, CA As unbelievable as it may seem, I am STILL in the race with this novel. It has been quite a long time. I have written three full drafts while in five different countries. I’ve been angry, optimistic, threatened, confronted, and exhausted by the process. I’ve had… »

BlogKIS.listcraft of writing // kiini // KIS.list // limitations // novel writing // structure // writing advice // writing strategies // writing struggles

Vol. 32, Freeing Your Work Through Limitations

Posted on 5 April 2003

The idea for this month’s column was sparked during a recent conversation with my mother. My mother is at the bitter end of her struggle to complete her Ph.D. In the final throes of her dissertation, she finds herself pulled in more than one direction. On the one hand she wants to explore all her… »

BlogKIS.listcraft of writing // critiques // editing // emotional connection to art // K. Ibura // KIS.list // rejection // writing adv // writing struggles // writing tips

Vol. 31, Seeking and Receiving Critiques

Posted on 1 March 2003

In writing an essay for an upcoming anthology, I was recently stumped. The topic seemed unwieldy and I couldn’t get the tone and feel of the piece. The content in the first draft was too personal. The content in the second, too dogmatic. I put both the first draft and the second draft to the… »

BlogKIS.listClarion West // craft of writing // rejection // rejection/acceptance o'meter // writing // writing life // writing struggles

Vol. 25, The Alchemy of Writing

Posted on 2 July 2002

A True Story She is a high-minded woman, and hates complaining, so she suffers the demands of her craft with little comment. She bows down to each of writing’s demands, barely stopping to consider the rationality of the requests. She works hard to save thousands, then blows it all on an intimate trip for two:… »

BlogKIS.listBullshit or Fertilizer // Clarion West // craft of writing // creativity // How to Find Your Mission in Life // imani // kiini // kis.lis // kujichagulia // kuumba // Kwanaza // nia // Pierre Bennu // Richard Bolles // ujamaa // ujima // umoja // writing advice

Vol. 16, Kwanzaa in Art, Writing, and Life

Posted on 3 January 2002

During my childhood, Kwanzaa was the only holiday my family celebrated. No birthdays, no New Year’s hoopla, no Christmas. Kwanzaa was a time of morning candle lighting and discussion of the Nguzo Saba (the seven principles of Kwanzaa) and evening cultural celebrations. One of my most memorable Kwanzaa moments was in the early 90s. My… »

BlogKIS.listaccolades // commitment // confidence // craft of writing // executing ideas // faith // insecurity // judging // outcome // process // quitting // rejection // rejection/acceptance o'meter // seeing it through // self acceptance // self confidence // success // the artist life // the writing life // trust // writing advice // writing struggles

Vol. 12, Process

Posted on 26 November 2001

Conversations on the F-train with a Writer Friend Manhattan, NY to Brooklyn, NY I hadn’t seen a friend of mine in a while so we decided to take the train home from work together. My friend had just finished her first professional short story and had it picked up for publication. She was so inspired… »