1 - How did your first book change your life? How does your most recent work compare to your previous? How does it feel different?
My first book made me an author, and that was very important to me—for many years, my goal was to have a book. I never would have guessed my first book would be a memoir.
My
most recent work hasn’t been memoir: I’ve been focused on fiction and poetry,
though at times the genres mix with each other.
2 - How did you come to non-fiction first, as
opposed to, say, fiction or poetry?
I actually came to fiction first—bad fiction: I
started writing short stories in sixth grade, quite terrible little short
stories that I thought for many years were quite good. In high school I started
writing poetry and have been writing it ever since. I came to memoir in the
last decade when I realized I had stories from my life I wanted to tell.
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?
This all depends on the project. Some are easy
and flow, and I do very little editing. Other pieces I labor over and revise so
many times I lose track. Some poems take me less than an hour to write. Some
stories I write for years.
4 - Where does a poem or work of prose 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 never know where the writing will take me, so
I never have a book-length idea from the start. (I also never know where a poem
will go. I just start writing the first words that come into my head or start
with a particular idea of what the poem might be about, but that can change as
I write.) I don’t plot out my stories or even have any idea where the
characters will take me. I start with some people and a conflict, and I write
from there. The surprise of where it goes is one of my favorite parts of
writing.
5 - Are public readings part of or counter to
your creative process? Are you the sort of writer who enjoys doing readings?
I love doing readings and any kind of public
speaking. When I published my memoir last year, I created an author talk that
covers my journey as a writer, and I included a very short reading in there.
Some people like readings, but other people don’t and prefer to learn more
about the author. My aim was to cover both.
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?
Sometimes when I write, I am trying to figure
out a question I have about life, and that is very particular to the piece of
work.
My only general questions that apply to nearly
all my writing are: “Is this relevant?” and “Is it good enough?”
7 – What do you see the current role of the writer being in larger culture? Does s/he even have one? What do you think the role of the writer should be?
I don’t have a prescription for writers’ roles, mine or anyone else’s. I hope that writers write about what they are compelled to say, and if this leads them to a role, especially a role they want, then I am glad for them. I think roles often come to us without trying—to inspire, to entertain, to make someone laugh, to help people understand.
8 - Do you find the process of working with an
outside editor difficult or essential (or both)?
That completely depends on the editor. I love
working with an editor who understands my work and sees how I can better attain
my vision. Working with an editor is only essential if my piece has missed the
mark.
9 - What is the best piece of advice you've
heard (not necessarily given to you directly)?
To never give up.
10 - How easy has it been for you to move
between genres (poetry to non-fiction)? What do you see as the appeal?
I find this very easy. I often move between
genres when I get stuck in one. I hop over to another. It shakes things loose.
11 - 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 try to start most days writing, even if just
a little, when my mind is still relaxed enough to be open to anything. I
scribble in a notebook, writing down any weird, random thought that comes into
my head. Later in the day, I move to my computer and write with more intent and
purpose.
12 - When your writing gets stalled, where do
you turn or return for (for lack of a better word) inspiration?
I love to read people’s poems. I’m not a big
social media fan, but one of things I have gotten out of it is being exposed
and introduced to other people’s poems. My recent favorites have come from
Ariel Francisco and Whitney Roberts Hill, and during National Poetry Month I
will feature some of their work on my blog.
13 - What fragrance reminds you of home?
The
smell of wood.
14 - 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?
I spend a lot of time outside walking, and often when I come across a problem in my writing, I find taking a walk helps me access a solution. I’m guessing that being outside has influenced my work, but it would be without my knowing it. It certainly has influenced my problem-solving.
15 - What other writers or writings are
important for your work, or simply your life outside of your work?
I like to read widely. I’m not a reader who
gets every book of a particular writer. I tend to like individual pieces of
other writers. Lately, I’ve been reading a ton of poetry. Some of my all-time
favorite poems are Richard Wilbur’s “The Writer” (I used the last lines of this
poem as the epigraph in my memoir), Dan Masterson’s “For a Child Going Blind,” and
Jane Kenyon’s “Let Evening Come.” I just started Neil Hilborn’s poetry collection, Our Numbered Days, and so far, my favorite poem is, “Ballad
of the Bruised Lung.” I love a clever poem that makes me laugh out loud.
16 - What would you like to do that you haven't
yet done?
I’d like to travel to places I have never been,
and return to a few I have, such as England. I’d like to publish a book of
poetry, a book of short stories, and, one day, a really good novel. I’d like to
take life more easily. I’d like to become closer to God.
17 - 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?
I spent some of my career in college
administration, and for reasons that are stories in and of themselves, I ended
up not staying in that field, but I always missed it.
My favorite job was at my alma mater, working
in admissions recruiting high school students—a great age and a momentous time
in their lives, when they are finishing up one chapter and looking at the next
big chapter. In my admissions job, I also got to put my writing and editing
skills to use. It was the perfect combination for me.
18 - What made you write, as opposed to doing
something else?
I was almost always doing something else while
writing, not just solely writing—admissions, career counseling, financial
counseling, communications work—so I don’t feel as if I have had to exclude
other things in order to write. I think doing other things helps the writing,
although writing is the constant companion. I don’t know what life would be
like without it because I have been writing my whole adult life and most of my
youth.
19 - What was the last great book you read?
What was the last great film?
I just read Sarah Manguso’s 300 Arguments,
and I loved it for the writing, for how it didn’t fit neatly into a genre, and
for its astute observations. The last film I loved was Lady Bird, which
was a coming-of-age film that made me laugh and made me cry and made me think
about my own youth.
20 - What are you currently working on?
A poetry collection and a short story
collection.
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