Joanna Grisham

Joanna Grisham, (most folx call her “Joey”), grew up east of Nashville, where she spent a lot of time playing make-believe with her imaginary friends. She has degrees in Communication from Vol-State Community College and Austin Peay State University (APSU), as well as an M.A. in English from APSU, and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Georgia College & State University. Her work has appeared in Construction Literary Magazine, Reunion: The Dallas Review, Mayday Magazine, and Trop. She lives in Clarksville, TN with her wife, Jenny, an academic librarian. Joey teaches part-time and stays home with her two-year-old daughter. She still spends a lot of time playing make-believe.

Baptism

Instead of confessing my sins at church, I found salvation in my bedroom. Like my father, I wasn’t a fan of altar calls or public confessions, though some kids reveled in the extra attention they got from adults when they participated in the praise and worship service. I felt like an imposter, and the attention made me uneasy. I felt closer to God when I was away from everyone else, alone in the woods or in my tree house.
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