When I sat down to interview Chloé Cooper Jones, I was unsure of what to expect. As a fellow writer, I admired her work, especially her writing, but I also felt a nagging uncertainty about my ability to fully grasp the depth of her insights. It was only after our conversation that I realized the true lesson Jones taught me was not just about writing, but also about overcoming the self-imposed barriers that often hold us back.
Jones is a journalist, philosopher and Associate Professor of Writing at Columbia University. She returned to the University of Kansas, her alma mater, for KU Commons’s Kenneth Spencer Lecture series, where she interviewed renowned poet Ocean Vuong. It was in the midst of this visit that I had the privilege of speaking with her about her journey as a writer, her creative process and her advice for aspiring writers.
Chloé Cooper Jones’s 2022 memoir “Easy Beauty” explores the intersection between disability, beauty and personal growth.
In our conversation, Jones spoke candidly about her experience of vulnerability in writing, how it shaped her memoir and the way she encourages others to embrace both failure and experimentation. Her memoir “Easy Beauty” examines the intersection between disability, beauty standards and personal growth. It was named one of the best books of 2022 by The New York Times and received numerous accolades.
When I asked about the role of vulnerability in her work, Jones shared that being open about personal struggles allowed for deeper, more meaningful connections with her readers.
“There’s some great generosity when you’re reading the work of someone or seeing the performance of someone or the films that someone might make where you realize that you’re in the presence of someone reaching deeply, deeply within,” Jones said.
The feeling of watching someone reach inward while simultaneously extending themselves outward to reach others is the standard Jones aims to achieve with everything she writes.
“That balance is something that I’m always striving for in my work,” she said.
Jones offered several pieces of advice for students pursuing writing and creative careers. One of the most important lessons she mentioned is learning to embrace experimentation. She believes writers should feel free to explore different genres, voices and methods, without being bound by tradition.
Jones described working within a genre as a constant pushing of boundaries, rather than a box to check or a constraint on her work.
“I think the actual act of working within a genre is always testing how far you can push those boundaries or what boundaries you can totally break or how you can slip around them, or how you can lead your reader into and out of those genres,” she said.
Jones echoed the thoughts of poet Ocean Vuong, whom she had interviewed the evening prior at Liberty Hall. He encourages his students at New York University to radicalize genres by freeing themselves from the constraints of academic or professional expectations.
For many student writers, choosing a specific genre often feels like an automatic decision. Like Vuong, Jones believes in the benefit of genre radicalization. She also practices a more fluid approach to schoolwork with her students.
“Instead of focusing on the medium, ask yourself, ‘What is it that I need to say?’” Jones said. “Once you know that, the form will come.”
Jones believes this approach can help students break free from the anxiety of choosing the “right” genre and instead focus on expressing their authentic voice.
Jones’s advice aligns with her broader philosophy that students should feel empowered to experiment with different forms of writing, be it journalism, memoir, fiction or poetry, embracing the possibility of failure along the way.
“I think that working in multiple genres has just given me the opportunity to be a student to the story all the time or to be always sort of pushing…” she said. “Just pushing as a true student and learner of form.”
For students navigating the pressures of university life, Jones also discussed the importance of vulnerability in writing. She shared how often her internal barriers, such as fear and self-doubt, can stand in the way of her work. Embracing vulnerability allows her to move past these barriers.
“You almost don’t realize the freedom until you’ve pushed through it,” she said, describing how confronting feelings of dread or insecurity can lead to growth.
Her words of encouragement on overcoming self-doubt struck a chord with me, as I reflected on my hesitation before the interview. “I had placed this lock on myself,” I said, admitting my initial uncertainty about understanding the complexity of the event. “But I realized at the end that I understood the entire conversation.”
Jones agreed and acknowledged that many people place limitations on themselves without realizing it. It is a common feeling that even she is not immune to.
“This is something I’ve said in my work before,” she said. “The only thing in my own way is me.”
This recognition — that the barriers we face are often self-imposed — was a recurring theme throughout our conversation. Jones explained that as a writer, she aims to make her work accessible, inviting connection rather than alienating an audience.
“It’s never an experience of one or two people talking above the heads of an audience,” she said. “I’m always trying to speak thoughtfully to everyone in the room, whether it’s my 12-year-old son or my mother sitting beside him.”
She shared how, as a writer, she didn’t worry about fitting into a particular mold or genre when she began her career.
“When I started writing professionally, I said yes to everything,” she said, recalling her early career. “I didn’t worry about whether it fit my ‘dream assignment.’ I just wanted to learn new skills—whether that was interviewing people, writing under deadlines or working with editors,”
Openness to opportunity is something she encourages for KU students. She advises readers to “Just go. Just go, and think and be.”
For Jones, success is not about meeting certain expectations or milestones but embracing the process of discovery as a creator and person.
As the conversation came to an end, I sought advice for students like myself, who can feel constrained by the limits they place on themselves. I asked her about the importance for students to expand their learning experiences, particularly for those in less creatively flexible fields who would still like to expand their learning.
“There is so much in our culture that urges us to be specialists and often to define what our specialization is before we’ve been given an education,” Jones replied.
By staying curious, embracing vulnerability, and pushing past self-imposed limitations, Jones believes students can unlock their potential as writers and thinkers.
“One must always be reaching for the ‘and,’ or the ‘yes,’” Jones said.
