“But I could make up a lot of details because it’s fiction.”Īllen’s advice to aspiring young writers is to sit down and write as often as you can. “I was able to really think about where I’m from and the people that I knew there,” Allen said. He was able to exercise this in his favorite piece of writing so far, ‘The East End.’ One thing Allen enjoys about writing is his ability to develop themes without much prior planning. “You can come at it from all different angles. “It’s super fun to talk about,” Allen said. Like he enjoys the art of writing, he also enjoys speaking with others about it. Allen now has a PhD in creative writing.Īllen’s inspiration to write stemmed from his love of reading as a kid, but it wasn’t until 2014 that he started to publish his work. “I wasn’t at all ready to go to college because I was falling very deep into alcoholism.”Īfter high school, Allen waited until he was 29 to start his college career and went full steam ahead. “I did really well in school up until high school,” Allen said. His new memoir touches on his struggles of growing up poor and how his addiction disrupted his educational journey.

Jason Allen, a creative writing professor, was Thursday’s guest speaker at ‘Writing Now, Reading Now’ hosted by Wichita State’s Creative Writing Department at the Ulrich Museum of Art.Īllen read excerpts from his most recent fiction novel, ‘The East End,’ and from his in-progress memoir. 14.īattling addiction, poverty and the regular struggles of high school students, Jason Allen was able to overcome these and turn them into a work of writing he’s able to be proud of. Author Jason Allen signs a book for an attendee at Writing Now, Reading Now at the Ulrich Museum of Art on Sept.

The east end by jason allen