Tucson Author Paar Unveils Captivating Essay Collection ‘The Exit is the Entrance: Essays on Escape’

Arizona author Lydia Paar is set to release her debut essay collection, “The Exit is the Entrance: Essays on Escape,” on September 1. The collection delves into a range of personal life experiences, providing poignant reflections on topics such as the workforce and class.

Paar’s journey to becoming a writer is as complex as it is compelling. Originally from Oregon, she has spent over a decade living in Arizona. “I always thought I’d be a fiction writer,” she admitted. “But as a mentor once said, it’s easier for me to remember things than to make them up.”

Paar’s writing credentials are impressive. Her essay “Erasure” won the 2020 Terry Tempest Williams Creative Nonfiction Prize and was highlighted in the “2022 Best American Essays” collection. Her work has appeared in Essay Daily, The Missouri Review, and Literary Hub, among others. Currently, she teaches writing at the University of Arizona.

In “The Exit is the Entrance,” published by the University of Georgia Press, Paar intertwines her life stories with broader societal themes. “As you get older and you begin to have personal experiences,” she noted, “what you thought was unique is actually not unique.”

Reflecting on her upbringing, Paar shared, “I was always looking for an escape from being lower-class.” She also opened up about her family’s struggles with alcoholism and a period when she lived in her grandmother’s attic post-divorce.

The collection includes essays on a variety of topics. One recounts her experience going AWOL from the Army at 19 after breaking multiple bones. “Basic training as I experienced it was brutal,” she said, adding that dehumanizing opponents was abhorrent to her.

Paar didn’t stop at recounting her military days. She also wrote about her many jobs since adolescence, including a stint at Blockbuster. She detailed how these experiences shaped her understanding of class and the workforce.

Another essay uncovers her decision to leave Catholicism, a choice informed by the desire to shed traditions that no longer served her. “I’m sure it’s not gonna go super well with my family,” she candidly said, “but it happened.”

Paar’s writing is noted for its raw honesty and emotional depth, making her essays both thought-provoking and heartfelt. “The Exit is the Entrance: Essays on Escape” is available for pre-order on the University of Georgia Press website.

“If people want to read about it being okay to let go of things,” Paar concluded, “then this book will definitely give you permission to do it.”