I’ve felt this way for a while, but I’m loath to admit it. Something fundamental has changed since then. I got to share opinions, join in on memes, celebrate people’s personal joys, process the news with others and partake in the collective effervescence of watching awards shows with thousands of strangers. I followed and met other emerging writers, many of whom remain my truest friends. Online is where I found a community beyond my graduate school peers. I lived in a town of around 4,000 people, with few Black people or other people of color, not many queer people and not many writers. When I joined Twitter 14 years ago, I was living in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, attending graduate school.
