In her essay “Holding the Novel,” Susan Scarf Merrell intertwines personal memory and insight, exploring the creative, safe, and supportive containment she aimed to provide in the writing program she devised. Through the recollection of her father's life and their shared moments, including his final breaths, she examines the art of holding and the legacy her father left of honoring kindness above all else. Like psychoanalysts, Merrell came to appreciate the profound connection between experiences of holding and the processes of growth and transformation—in both the artistic and personal spheres. Grappling with leaving the directorship of the program, she reflects on her fear of letting go, leaving room for herself and others to thrive.