Tumbleweed Words • 3 implied HN points • 16 Feb 26
- A secret sexual relationship with a teacher led to serious social fallout, expulsion from school, and a long silence that shaped the young person’s life.
- Reading and writing became an essential escape and lifeline, giving focus, purpose, and a route into higher education and a craft.
- Educational institutions and the literary world felt exclusionary and agenda-driven, and class and racial identity intensified a sense of not belonging, so leaving the local environment became the main goal.