Caroline Topperman is a European-Canadian writer, entrepreneur, and world traveller. Born in Sweden, raised in Canada with a recent stint of living in Poland, she holds a BFA in screenwriting. She is a co-founder of Mountain Ash Press and KW Writers Alliance, and currently runs Migrations Review, and Write, They Said. Her book, Tell Me What You See, serves as a toolkit for her writing workshops. She has written articles for Huffington Post Canada, Jane Friedman’s blog, was the Beauty Editor for British MODE Magazine, and served as managing editor for NonBinary Review. Her hybrid memoir, Your Roots Cast a Shadow, explores explosive intergenerational histories that link war zones and foreign shores with questions of identity and belonging. Her next book, The Road to Tang-e Gharu, integrates Afghan folktales and family memories with the story of one of the greatest roads ever built.
1 - How did your first book change your life? How does your most recent work compare to your previous? How does it feel different? I don’t know if my first book changed my life so much since it was more of a workbook. What did change my life was immersing myself in the publishing process and learning what it really takes to write a book, have it be accepted for publication, and then do most of the marketing. Your Roots Cast a Shadow is a very different book because it’s a memoir. It is also coming out in a time when the literary world is especially divided.
2 - How did you come to non-fiction first, as opposed to, say, fiction or poetry? As a kid I wrote fiction. I was learning to find my voice. As I got older, I realized that there were real stories out there that didn’t need to be fictionalized, and in fact, I believe that it would do them and audiences a disservice if I didn’t stick to the truth.
3 - How long does it take to start any particular writing project? Does your writing initially come quickly, or is it a slow process? Do first drafts appear looking close to their final shape, or does your work come out of copious notes? Well, it really only takes a second to start. I sit down and start mapping out my ideas… voila! I’ve started. I would love to meet a writer who is able to sit down and write the perfect first draft. My writing process is not linear. Sometimes, I have a lot of ideas and the words just flow, and other times, I write a sentence which then has to marinate for a week. I do, however, use letters and old documents when I’m working so that is also a part of the process. Often I am “writing,” but it involves a lot of reading.
4 - Where does a poem or work of fiction usually begin for you? Are you an author of short pieces that end up combining into a larger project, or are you working on a "book" from the very beginning? I have a notebook where I keep short pieces. Mostly these are bits and pieces of a larger idea. For now, I am working on a book-length project from the start. That isn’t to say that I won’t ever write short pieces. Often, my long work does start out in bits and pieces, but none of them are standalone work.
5 - Are public readings part of or counter to your creative process? Are you the sort of writer who enjoys doing readings? While I am not particularly interested in reading my works in progress (too many unwanted opinions before I am ready to hear them), I do love public readings. I used to perform, and being on a stage feels natural.
6 - Do you have any theoretical concerns behind your writing? What kinds of questions are you trying to answer with your work? What do you even think the current questions are? My book takes a personal look at what it means to be Jewish today, especially for those of us who don't necessarily fit the traditional mold. I ask questions about how our family stories and cultural backgrounds shape who we are, even if we're not super involved in the Jewish community. I also dive into the things we don't know about our past and how that affects our sense of identity. Even though it's about my own experiences as a Jewish woman, the themes of family, identity, and belonging are something everyone can relate to, no matter their background. It's a book that will hopefully get people thinking and talking about how we find meaning and connection in today's fragmented world.
7 – What do you see the current role of the writer being in larger culture? Do they even have one? What do you think the role of the writer should be? I come from a long line of artists who used their work as activism. My Jewish grandfather ran an underground press in pre-WWII Eastern Europe, my father worked with a political Polish theatre company that fought the communist government, and my mother wrote articles condemning antisemitism.
As such, I believe that writers are artists. Not only is it our job to add to the cultural fabric of a society, but I think that, should we choose, our work can be provoke wider conversations and challenge the status quo.
8 - Do you find the process of working with an outside editor difficult or essential (or both)? I wouldn’t dream of not working with an editor; they are indispensable. I am an editor myself, and I know how much work I do when I am helping a writer. I hired an editor before I submitted my book for publication. Then, it had another developmental edit, a line edit and then several rounds of proofreading after it was accepted by my publisher. There is no way that I could have done all of that work alone.
9 - What is the best piece of advice you've heard (not necessarily given to you directly)? When I originally thought that I wanted to be a theatre director, a well-known director told me that I would need to know a little bit about everything. I took this to heart and try to apply it to every project I am working on.
10 - What kind of writing routine do you tend to keep, or do you even have one? How does a typical day (for you) begin? I like to start my day by moving whether that be a long walk or rowing. This helps me clear my head and start my day with a fresh outlook. I used to like writing early in the morning, but now I prefer working later when the world quiets down. If I’m working on a book, I do check in periodically throughout the day just to stay inspired.
11 - When your writing gets stalled, where do you turn or return for (for lack of a better word) inspiration? Well, funny you should ask this question, the response is exactly how my first book, Tell Me What You See came about. I was in the middle of a huge writing and creative block when it suddenly hit me: I have a degree in film. This means that much of my training was based around visual work. Staring at a blank page is hard for me. So, I grabbed my polaroid camera and started taking photographs. Then, I simply wrote what I saw on the images. Pretty soon stories started flowing again. When that happens now, I might read a book that is related to my project, go look at art, or see a play.
12 - What fragrance reminds you of home? Home has been so many different places that it doesn’t have a representative fragrance, but Tresor has always reminded me of my mother.
13 - David W. McFadden once said that books come from books, but are there any other forms that influence your work, whether nature, music, science or visual art? Absolutely. I am always inspired by visual art, dance, working out, and even a long hike in the mountains. I like to think of it like cross training for the brain. I take my mind off of my project, focus on something different but equally creative, and the ideas come back.
14 - What other writers or writings are important for your work, or simply your life outside of your work? I am constantly reading, and I’ll read almost anything. My favourite author outside of the creative nonfiction world is Haruki Murakami, but lately I’ve also started reading scripts. My current obsession is Prayer for the French Republic.
15 - What would you like to do that you haven't yet done? This will be a boring answer, but I don’t love the word commitment. I tend to see an opportunity and seize it, so I will know what it is when I want to do when I least expect it.
16 - If you could pick any other occupation to attempt, what would it be? Or, alternately, what do you think you would have ended up doing had you not been a writer? Haha, well I have managed a rock-climbing gym, danced, worked in a library, owned a Pilates studio frequented by athletes and A-list celebrities, worked in fashion and beauty, sold after market automotive products, sold insurance, worked in real estate development, and now, I co-own a hybrid press. If I was to do anything else, it would probably be working in the theatre in some capacity.
17 - What made you write, as opposed to doing something else? I have never not written. I majored in screenwriting at university, so I think that this is what I was always meant to do in some capacity. For years I resisted writing. After trying so many other things, it was natural to come back to it.
18 - What was the last great book you read? What was the last great film? I have read a lot of fantastic books lately, but one that made me think about how I want to present my work to the world was Not a Novel: A Memoir In Pieces by Jenny Erpenbeck. This movie is a bit older, but I really enjoyed, Belfast. I saw it on a recent flight, and it has stayed with me.
19 - What are you currently working on? I have just started working on my next book, The Road to Tang-e Gharu: Family Stories, Folk Tales, and the Limits of Memory, which is centered around my family’s time in Afghanistan during WWII while my grandfather was building the road from Kabul to Jalalabad. The book explores the power of memory and storytelling to connect generations and illuminate the past.
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