Emily Foxhall
Emily Foxhall is an experienced professional journalist. She covers energy for the Texas Tribune with a focus on the clean energy transition. She previously worked for the Houston Chronicle, where her environmental reporting uncovered the effects of climate change and pollution on the region. She won multiple Texas Managing Editors awards and was part of the 2017 team that was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news coverage of Hurricane Harvey. Emily graduated from Yale University in 2013, where she studied English and was a Yale Journalism Scholar. She’s thrilled to be sharing her love of the craft, and of reading creative nonfiction, with others. You can find her at https://emfoxhall.pressfolios.com/ and on social media.
https://twitter.com/emfoxhall
Writing excerpt:
Ty Smith repeatedly tapped either side of his pig with a show whip, trying to make the most of his seconds before a judge at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo before he would have to part with his animal.
Months of work led up to this moment. Across the state, nearly 3,000 kids prepared. They fed and bathed the animals, oiled their skin and walked them. The spotted swine, with floppy ears and black and pink splotching, could be like pets. Some kids went so far as to name them.
Still, the students, parents and teachers knew where this journey ended: Whether they won a ribbon or not, the pigs would wind up in a trailer bound for a slaughterhouse. The whole process was not only a lesson in hard work and care but also emotional fortitude.
“There’s no way to prepare for that,” said Smith’s agriculture teacher, Jarad Flores, full of kindness and support, “other than they know it’s going to happen.”
For now, Smith had this brief moment to present his pig as best he could. The pair traveled here from Farwell High School in the Texas panhandle — a 10-hour drive. He, Flores and several others spent Friday night in a pickup truck before moving into the NRG Arena.
Smith wore his button-down and jeans; the pig’s hair was spritzed with water so it glistened.
This was their chance.
Recommended books:
The Elements of Style, by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White
The Journalist and the Murderer, by Janet Malcolm
In Cold Blood, Truman Capote
Behind the Beautiful Forevers, Katherine Boo
The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion
Teaching Philosophy: People who take my workshops will leave with confidence to explore creative nonfiction and personal writing. I aim to build a collaborative, friendly classroom environment. Students will get to know each other, strengthen their writing and have a forum to explore their ideas with feedback from each other and inspiration from example texts.
https://twitter.com/emfoxhall
Writing excerpt:
Ty Smith repeatedly tapped either side of his pig with a show whip, trying to make the most of his seconds before a judge at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo before he would have to part with his animal.
Months of work led up to this moment. Across the state, nearly 3,000 kids prepared. They fed and bathed the animals, oiled their skin and walked them. The spotted swine, with floppy ears and black and pink splotching, could be like pets. Some kids went so far as to name them.
Still, the students, parents and teachers knew where this journey ended: Whether they won a ribbon or not, the pigs would wind up in a trailer bound for a slaughterhouse. The whole process was not only a lesson in hard work and care but also emotional fortitude.
“There’s no way to prepare for that,” said Smith’s agriculture teacher, Jarad Flores, full of kindness and support, “other than they know it’s going to happen.”
For now, Smith had this brief moment to present his pig as best he could. The pair traveled here from Farwell High School in the Texas panhandle — a 10-hour drive. He, Flores and several others spent Friday night in a pickup truck before moving into the NRG Arena.
Smith wore his button-down and jeans; the pig’s hair was spritzed with water so it glistened.
This was their chance.
Recommended books:
The Elements of Style, by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White
The Journalist and the Murderer, by Janet Malcolm
In Cold Blood, Truman Capote
Behind the Beautiful Forevers, Katherine Boo
The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion
Teaching Philosophy: People who take my workshops will leave with confidence to explore creative nonfiction and personal writing. I aim to build a collaborative, friendly classroom environment. Students will get to know each other, strengthen their writing and have a forum to explore their ideas with feedback from each other and inspiration from example texts.