Hannah Darling Fenn: A Writer’s Journey
By Annalynn Mueller, junior English Major
May 2, 2024
Pictured above: Hannah Darling Fenn
After receiving a creative writing scholarship in high school, Hannah Darling Fenn was inspired to pursue English at SOU. Although Hannah was not sure what she wanted to do after college, she knew she wanted to work in the arts. She now balances her talents of writing and passions for poetry in her everyday life. After 10 years of experience, she confidently states that she loves her freelance job because of its flexibility, the “unsuspecting avenues” and the “opportunities [that] can flow to you in ways you can’t necessarily predict.”
Hannah entered the freelance writing world from an internship with The Ashland Daily Tidings and The Medford Mail Tribune that she did her senior year of college alongside her late father, John Darling. Working under her father’s wing was a great way to learn the trade. This early experience led her to the opportunity to write a column that covered performances at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and soon other freelance writing work. She continued to write locally, as well as doing some online work for online and print publications in the Midwest. Now she has gone on to write for bigger publications such as Glam, River + Bay, Edible New, Wilde Magazine, FSM, and Cordella Magazine.
Pictured Above: Hannah’s poetry on Cordella Magazine’s website
Hannah has worked as a daily lifestyle news writer for Static Media, and now works for a catering company. With her rotating set of clients and projects, she enjoys the “quiet focus of delivering into a piece and the way the outline unfolds.” Each morning she logs onto her workboard, claims an article she is interested in, researches, writes, and edits, all in three hours. Since most of the news articles are time sensitive, “speed is key.” She tries to pick pieces on topics she is interested in such as astrology, motherhood, or wellness, but she writes about many different subjects. Depending on the types of articles available, Hannah’s days can be more relaxed: “One of the perks of working as a freelance writer is the flexibility.” Hannah has appreciated this flexibility as it allows her to be more present with her children and pursue her passion for poetry.
“Copy writing and journalism have been steady and reliable in terms of making a living and I think it’s a great line of work for anyone who loves to write and desires a flexible lifestyle.”
– Hannah Darling Fenn
In addition to news writing, Hannah is also working on a book of her own poetry, which is “the most fun [she’s] had in [her] writing career.” It is important for her to “balance those two realms of writing in [her] life, both generating income and remaining connected to the art of poetics.” Her poetry collection has been written over a five year period; many of the poems were composed “in the notes app of [her] phone, while waiting in the car for [her] son’s jiu-jitsu practice.” For Hannah,this collection of poems shows “little meshes of receiving from the poetic ether, in ordinary daily moments.” She is thrilled that they will be made into a book. At first, publishing a whole book of poems felt daunting and Hannah hit many mental roadblocks along the way. After working with a writing coach, Hannah’s book was picked up by Kelsay Books, the first publisher she submitted her collection to.
“If you find yourself doing more technical writing work and you’re an artist at heart who might feel a bit starved creatively in those roles, “Beyond writing stories to fill a paper, you can still intertwine the poetic into your daily life. Stay tethered to it, whatever you’re doing.”
– Hannah Darling Fenn
The English and Creative Writing classes that Hannah took at SOU have provided her “a great foundation to have for the writing profession” and she holds them “very dearly.” She particularly cherished her poetry courses and often incorporated similar workshops into her own teaching while working as a poetry educator at an art museum. Her technical writing courses provided her with great foundational skills that “paved the way for [her] career.” Although not all writing positions require a bachelor’s degree, many do prefer it. Hannah thinks that it is “wise to choose an English degree in college” because “there will always be a need for copywriting and journalism.” Even with the rise in use of AI, Hannah has “not encountered a shortage of writing work.” Most of the publications she works for are “pretty anti-AI. They want real humans writing for them.”
Pictured Above: Hannah Darling Fenn working as a poetry educator
Hannah encourages aspiring writers to do internships and immerse themselves in whatever type of writing they are passionate about, creative and technical. She recommends reading The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron as it was “quite the diving board” for her own creative journey. Hannah plans to continue freelance writing and hopes to publish more poetry, maybe even a piece of fiction. She’s also considering the possibility of pursuing an MFA in poetry, teaching poetry, and exploring other creative projects. Her recent publications and pieces of her poetry can be found at her website.
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Interested in being featured on the English Program blog? Or know someone who is interested? Contact English Program blogger Annalynn Mueller at muellera1@sou.edu .
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