TORIE JOHNSON

For some, writing is just words on a page, an entertaining story, something to get done for class. But for Torie Johnson, it is how she processes deep emotions, preserves significant memories, and relates to the world around her. This is evident in her work showcased in this year’s edition of Ivy Leaves, which spans all three genres featured in the journal. As submissions editor for the Ivy Leaves, Torie not only contributed to the journal with her own work, but also served as a key voice in shaping the journal as a whole. Her pieces explore everything from losing the third grade spelling bee to her relationship with her mom, giving readers a vulnerable look into her inner commentary on life.

Torie first began to write at a young age. “I used to write these little stories in elementary school based off of my friend group at the time,” she said. She would imagine what their lives would look like when they were older and in high school. Little did she know that high school was when she would begin to dive into writing more seriously. “Most of my writing in high school was just journaling,” Torie says. “Then [in college] I had to take the intro to creative writing class for my creative inquiry. Dr. Updegraff was the professor of the class, and he made me realize that this was something you could actually do and love for your whole life.” Originally a communications and then a business major, Torie made a final switch to become an English creative writing major after this realization.

Torie’s pieces are not only inspired by the relationships in her life, but also as a way to express and preserve her own emotions and experiences. “I think the ideas that I try to convey are that there is a chapter after the hard things that happen to you. A lot of my pieces deal with grief and sorting through hard things because I process [those feelings] through writing.” For Torie, writing is a way to better understand those around her as well as herself.

While Torie loves to write, she also recognizes that it comes with its own kinds of difficulties. “I think my biggest challenge is giving myself the grace to write things that aren’t perfect right off the bat.” To overcome this, part of Torie’s process is to simply start writing and worry about the content later, using initial drafts to pull out ideas and inspiration. She loves to spend mornings at coffee shops writing, an iced latte with just one pump of vanilla in hand.

Much of Torie’s motivation and inspiration to write comes from the people closest to her. “I write in order to understand the people in my life better. A lot of my writing is about my mom and our relationship.” This was the topic for Torie’s creative nonfiction piece “Daughters who Mother,” which explores in poetic prose the way her relationship with her mom has blossomed over the past few years. Torie enjoys writing creative nonfiction the most because, as she put it, “to me it feels like dumping a box of puzzle pieces on a table and sorting through them until you have this beautiful complete puzzle.”

Torie’s fiction piece, “When Pigs Fly,” is inspired by her mom’s relationship with her father. Even while branching into fiction, Torie still considers herself mainly a creative nonfiction writer, and intentionally included factual details in the piece. “The guinea pig actually was sent to space on that day,” she says. “And the town of Hell in Michigan also actually did freeze over on that day. I tried to pull some nonfiction elements. I think there’s a little bit of nonfiction in everything that I write.”

Torie is busy working on her next projects, including a novel and collection of creative nonfiction pieces she plans on publishing. When asked if she had any career goals for the future, Torie smiled and said, “Am I allowed to say that I want to do everything? I’ve never thought that it was fair to have to pick one thing to do for the rest of your life. I want to grow a garden and run a bakery, and I want to write, and I want to have children and care for them well, and I could see myself teaching.”

Torie encourages writers “not to be afraid to say hard things on paper, because I think the best writing is the most honest writing, and when you restrain yourself, you’re not being authentic to who you are as a writer, and someone else may really, really need to hear your honesty.” Torie recognizes vulnerability as a cornerstone of excellent writing–and sets an admirable example in her own work. Her writing reveals a creative mind and compassionate heart inspired by the people around her. “I love building relationships with people. I think God made everyone so different and unique for the sake of us learning what life is like through the eyes of someone else.”