BCC Shines A LIght on: Megan Hanlon

Name of the piece published by BCC:

How to Make Pumpkin Bread 15 Years Later

When/where was it originally published:

MUTHA Magazine, October 2021

Tell us more about your piece! What is the background of the piece? What led you to write it? What’s your process?

My mother died in 2007 after many years of illness, both physical and mental. I was only 26; she was 56. This piece started as some thoughts I had while making her recipe for pumpkin bread. She baked it for Thanksgiving every year, and I keep up the tradition though it is bittersweet for me. Once I started writing it, the words just poured out in one sitting.

How did you feel when it was first published and how have your thoughts or feelings on the piece changed from then to now?

This was the first published piece where I really acknowledged that my relationship with my mother was complicated and my grief was complex. I was proud of how unexpectedly strong the writing was, raw with my truths. I still feel that way now, and I can’t read it without my eyes welling up. It’s one of my favorite pieces.

Is there a specific message you would like readers to take away from reading this piece?

Grief is multi-layered, and every layer matters. Even the ugly ones.

What else would you like to tell readers about your writing? (Doesn’t have to refer only to your BCC piece)

I mostly write creative nonfiction, and I like to say that my published pieces are usually terrible stories well told. I have a blog called Sugar Pig where I share stories that are often lighter and funnier. My goal with everything I write is to twofold: to prove I survived, and to reach people who think they are the only ones who feel like this and tell them “me too.”

Where can readers find more of your work? (Website/social media, etc)

My blog is http://sugar-pig.blogspot.com and I can be found on Facebook, Formerly Twitter, and Bluesky at @sugarpigblog.