Have you had to make tradeoffs in order to have time for creativity in your life?
Like many people, I have experienced changes in my life resulting from the pandemic that has brought more intentional time for creative pursuits. Working from home eliminated my commuting time, and the initial stay at home orders helped me realize that I enjoy time at home, so I no longer fill my evenings and weekends with dinners, outings, and busyness. Writing, hiking, taking photos, gardening, baking, and playing the piano have become daily creative rituals and I am more relaxed and fulfilled.

Who was the first author or artist to broaden your worldview?
I became an avid fan of Emily Dickinson when I was in second grade. I didn’t understand her work back then, but I connected deeply with the rhythms and cadence of her poems. She taught me to love how words fit together and I’ve been smitten with language ever since.

What word do you feel should be brought back into popular usage?
I would revive the word “mayhap” which at first seems to be a conflation of “maybe” and “perhaps” but is a derivative of the phrase “may happen.” Mayhap, along with its cousin “methinks,” adds faux-Elizabethan Renaissance Faire vibes to daily vernacular, which I think is quite fun.

What is your most evocative memory?
One strong image that comes to mind is hiking at Walden Pond. My first visit was on a crisp October afternoon. I had on a heavy jacket, but there were several people swimming across the pond in bathing suits (not wet suits!) and I admired their tenacity. Thoreau’s writing came to life for me in that place and touched all the senses. I remember the sound of bird song and bullfrog croaks, the sight of Indian pipes glowing through the dense forest brush, the smell of pine sap, the sound of a distant train, and the taste of salty air. I still feel a sense of peace and joy when I think about my visits there.

How long does it take you to close the gap between the work as you imagine it and the real, finished piece?
The timeframe varies between a concept or draft and a finished piece. In the case of “Snowmobile Tracks on Chautauqua Lake,” the final photo emerged quickly with minimal edits to sharpen the natural lens flare. What took the most time was walking along the lake, viewing the scene from different angles, framing the shot, and talking to the snowmobilers to understand what leads them to enjoy ice fishing and riding across the frozen water.

What's the last book you didn't finish reading, and why did you put it down?
The Edge of the Sea by Rachel Carson. Written in 1955, this book contains such rich language to describe coastal ecosystems in great detail, but I found myself mired in the long descriptive passages by chapter two.

Name a book/author/artist that you feel deserves more recognition.
I would point to Canadian-Armenian photographer Yousef Karsh. Everyone has seen his iconic black and white portraits of Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King, Jr., and others, and yet he has not achieved the universal name recognition of an Ansel Adams or Annie Leibowitz. He is a master of light and shadow, and every photographer can benefit from knowing his work.

Have you had to make tradeoffs in order to have time for creativity in your life?
As a professional and a parent to a bunch of young children, I am always very busy - and I find that it actually helps in unexpected ways: I carve out little pockets of time every day; I am interrupted before things get stale; I do not have the opportunity to develop any form of anxiety or self-doubt; words and ideas continue to percolate while I am doing something else; I am eager to get back to writing when I find a bit more time. I would not be able to write a novel or embark upon a long-term project, but poetry has successfully woven itself into my daily life.

When did you first realize you wanted to be an author/artist?
Artistic creation is the way my brain responds to new information. I grew up making up stories, songs, dances, pictures - and I did not think that it was anything out of the ordinary. I am actually fascinated with people whose brain does not do that, is not constantly firing colorful reconfigurations of whatever input they receive. People with aphantasia, for example, which is the inability to voluntarily create a mental picture - aren't brains fantastically diverse and bizarre?

What is your most evocative memory?
When I was very little, I discovered a pond whose surface was completely covered with duckweed - which we called water lentils. I remember their tiny, free-floating, blue-green leaves. How many of them there were. How they made the pond look like solid ground, until you threw a little stone in, and it would sink with a plop, and make a little watery black hole that would close within a few minutes. That pond deserves a poem.

How long does it take you to close the gap between the work as you imagine it and the real, finished piece?
It really varies. Some poems come out fully formed, and resist any attempt at revision. Others keep whispering that they are not quite there yet, that there is another poem hidden below the first poem, and that it needs seeing. It feels very external to me, as if I were a sculptor trying to find the form that already exists in the stone. It might require a few months, or even years. It is always a great relief and delight when the poem finally says: yes, this is what I am!

Name a book/author/artist that you feel deserves more recognition.
Riddley Walker, a dystopian novel by Russell Hoban, first published in 1980. It is set in Inland (England) a long time after a nuclear war sent humans back to stone age levels of technology (and social structures). It is written in an invented, decayed, phonetic version of English that in itself is absolutely compelling.

Whose work do you feel most resembles your own?
I have been fascinated with Ilya Kaminsky's Deaf Republic, because it feels so similar in tone and intent to a series of political, historical, fictional poems on which I have been working for a few years (a few of them have been published). It is such a pleasure to discover a voice and a place that one feels they can inhabit effortlessly. Reading Deaf Republic always feels like a homecoming.

Have you had to make tradeoffs in order to have time for creativity in your life?
With absolute certainty, every creative process needs exchanges, determination, dedication and persistence.

Who was the first author or artist to broaden your worldview?
I cannot enumerate the first one, as there are so many artists who have influenced my work. It would be unfair of me to say.

When did you first realize you wanted to be an artist?
Since I was a child I liked the arts in its most diverse manifestations. When I started to photograph in 1996 my dream was to be an artist. I believe I managed to do it, but the road is long……

What is your most evocative memory?
My childhood memories.

How long does it take you to close the gap between the work as you imagine it and the real, finished piece?
My creative process goes through different times. I've already developed works in a short period of time, as well as finishing my last project this year, which lasted a total of 16 years.

What historical time would you most like to live in?
The one I live today!

What's the last book you didn't finish reading, and why did you put it down?
The Dog Without Feathers (O Cão sem plumas) by João Cabral de Melo Neto, a Brazilian poet. I didn't give up, I just need to organize my time more.

Have you had to make tradeoffs in order to have time for creativity in your life?
Like all writers, I have other jobs and hobbies. But creative writing calls me incessantly. If I haven't written anything in a while, the feeling gnaws at me until I get to it. Sometimes, I force myself to wake up earlier than I need to so I can have an extra half hour of writing time. Sometimes, I clear my calendar (and my desk) to find the time and space to work. Inspiration may hit anytime so I keep a notebook by my bed and by my laptop all the time, but to act on that inspiration — the act of writing — is the hard work, and I often need to put off other things to get to it: laundry, grocery shopping, other work, cleaning, sleeping, eating ... all those things some writers do to avoid looking at the empty page. Anyone can write, but a professional writer writes every day, even when the mood hasn't struck.

Who was the first author or artist to broaden your worldview?
Ken Kesey opened my eyes, first with One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and then with Sometimes a Great Notion. All of his work is eye-opening.

When did you first realize you wanted to be an author/artist?
I've been writing since grammar school. In college, I started to take the craft seriously.

What is your most evocative memory?
I wrote the true story about The Night Alcohol Saved My Life. I was 20 at the time.

How long does it take you to close the gap between the work as you imagine it and the real, finished piece?
Writing the first draft of anything is an exercise in trust. You don't know what you have or even what the story is about until you finish the first draft. Once you know, then you can go back and refine it into the work you imagined. This is what works for me and the driving fact that keeps me moving forward on a first draft.

What historical time would you most like to live in?
We live in interesting times. I was too young to get involved with the counterculture movement in the 1960s, but there are still protests. There are still freedoms at stake. Today is just as vibrant as any time in our history.

What's the last book you didn't finish reading, and why did you put it down?
This doesn't happen often, but I bought Jonathan Franzen's first two novels after enjoying The Corrections. I just couldn't get through either. Sorry, Jonathan.

Name a book/author/artist that you feel deserves more recognition.
Well, Kesey wrote great novels and stories and should have a more prominent position in his era. He wasn't prolific, but his books are insightful, well-written and always about something meaningful.

Name a favorite film or other visual work that has influenced the way you shape your stories.
One of my favorite films is Terry Gilliam's Brazil. It starts with a dream sequence and ends in harsh reality. It's a richly textured film that's ultimately a fantasy, and it happens in the "near future," which is my own favorite period of time to write about: events, places, and characters who could be real in the coming years. Brazil combines elements of drama, humor, and horror to tell a compelling tale. What more could anyone want?

Have you had to make tradeoffs in order to have time for creativity in your life?
I'm a stay-at-home parent to two toddlers, so I don't have as much time for writing as I'd like. Sometimes a line will pop into my head before I fall asleep, so I'll jot it down in my notes app so I don't forget it. When the stars align, and the children sleep at the same time, I'll write.

Who was the first author or artist to broaden your worldview?
Well, I used to think a lot of poetry was the old, dead white guy canon. Attending my first graduate poetry workshop led Lee Ann Roripaugh at the University of South Dakota was such an eye-opening, monumental experience in changing my old perception. We read poetry by Kaveh Akbar, Chen Chen, Layli Long Soldier, Danez Smith, and more, and their work made me realize that poetry is alive, important, and necessary.

When did you first realize you wanted to be an author/artist?
Ever since I learned how to read and write, I've wanted to be a writer. My first love was fiction, but I lost my creative spark while attending college for a more practical career. I realized what was practical didn't necessarily make me happy, and I rediscovered my creativity in graduate school when I fell in love with poetry.

What word do you feel should be brought back into popular usage?
I love calling people (ahem, my children) "rapscallions," or "scamps," and I've entertained "scallywags." Bring back talking like a pirate.

What is your most evocative memory?
My most vivid memories are visiting my great grandfather's farm. I can still see the farmhouse's chipped white siding and black roof and my grandfather's expectant, rectangular face through the window watching for us. I haven't been there since he passed over a decade ago. I dream about it often.

How long does it take you to close the gap between the work as you imagine it and the real, finished piece?
There are some poems that I've been working on for years and still feel like they're not finished. Other times, I can write and edit a poem in a few hours and feel confident enough to send it out.

What historical time would you most like to live in?
I'd love to live in prehistoric times. It would be cool to see a wooly mammoth, pet a giant rat, and have less thoughts.

What's the last book you didn't finish reading, and why did you put it down?
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. It's REALLY good, and I'm planning to pick it back up again. I'm just struggling to find the time and energy to get through any novel-length work at the moment. Ask me about comics any day, though!

Name a book/author/artist that you feel deserves more recognition.
I'm a big supporter of local art and know so many amazing poets and writers in (or connected with) South Dakota who are creating amazing work. Check out Lee Ann Roripaugh's work if you haven't — I recommend tsunami v. the fukushima 50 (Milkweed Editions), and I also love The Truth Is (Black Lawrence Press) by Avery M. Guess. Matt Miller's chapbook Brave and Stupid (Dream Cult House) is a delight.

Whose work do you feel most resembles your own?
Such a hard question! Can I talk about who influences my work? I'm obsessed with Sylvia Plath, torrin a. greathouse, Maggie Nelson, and Helene Cixous, to name a few. I love work that can twist the gaze on a body and questions how a body is (or isn't) inhabited.

Have you had to make tradeoffs in order to have time for creativity in your life?
While I was going through graduate school I married and my wife and we had our first child. Suddenly my career and my writing was not the first priority. I came from a working class background and had paid my way through university by working in the forest industry. When I graduated, the only teaching positions seemed to be tenuous, short term and part time. As a result I returned to working in industry to earn a living. Initially, I thought this would only be a short term solution, but I discovered that this gave me the opportunity to spend time with my family and pursue my writing. I also found that my work put me in touch with a broad spectrum of people with different ethnic backgrounds, different experiences and different ways of looking at the world. I learned that heavy accents sometimes concealed the fact that English was a second or third language for many of them and that they were educated and experienced in matters of which I wasn’t even aware. What I gained from this was a much-needed sense of humility as well as a source for much of my writing.

Who was the first author or artist to broaden your worldview?
I first became interested in poetry when I was about 15. I had an older sister who was attending university and I started to read her second and third year English lit texts and became aware of the broad spectrum of writing that was included under the heading of “poetry.” It was shortly after this that I bought a copy of a book by Lawrence Ferlinghetti at a local book store. Long story short: “A Coney Island of the Mind” changed my life.

What word do you feel should be brought back into popular usage?
One word would be “ecstasy.” The other would be “rapture.” Both describe physical and emotional experiences that are linked to spiritual transcendence. To me they express a sense of the oneness of being.

What do you want people to take away from your work?
I think much of what I strive for is to use image, idea and emotion and link it to a specific time or place through the use of language. I try to explore the complexity and interrelatedness of things without being dogmatic. I thing I would like people to experience one of my poems as a clear image like a memory: nuanced and unresolved.

How long does it take you to close the gap between the work as you imagine it and the real, finished piece?
Mind the Gap. To me the gap is variable. Generally I find one of my poems will resolve itself within 2 to 3 days. Sometimes, it takes that long before I fully realize where the poem is going and how exactly it wants to get there. Of course, I’ve written many failed or incomplete poems just like every other poet. But then there are poems that seemed to not live up to their promise; that lost their way or just ran out of energy. I have recently written several poems based on ideas that first came to me as much as 40 years ago but I have also given total rewrites to poems that were only 1 or 2 years old and made them new in a way they never were before. There seems to be a point where you either concede that a poem is as good as it is ever going to be or if it merits more attention. It’s just learning to discern which poems deserve that extra amount of detailing to make them shine.

Name a favorite film or other visual work that has influenced the way you shape a story.
One of the films that really affected me early on was the movie Chinatown. As Jack Nicolson’s character describes it, it is a place “where you never know what’s really going on”. I’ve always liked that sense of the hidden backstory, the disjointed details that don’t quite add up, the entanglements and muddled motives that make the individual life complex and impossible to translate. Just that drive to try and tell the story, to make some kind of sense out of it. That’s what I want. To write my way into it and Never come out. . .

Who was the first author or artist to broaden your worldview?
When I first read Jack Kerouac, I was in my late teens. His enthusiasm for the world in On the Road lit a fire in me. I saw the world differently, found metaphors and similes everywhere, even though I was only vaguely aware of these tropes. Kerouac saw beauty in hobos, in the sky, and in the vast emptiness of the plains. I soon devoured all the Kerouac books I could find in the library. It might have been the most joyous time in my life in some ways, to be shown so much beauty and enthusiasm for people and in the world around me.

What do you want people to take away from your work?
That’s a rather tough one to answer as my process of writing both prose and poetry is a practice of discovery. Both genres share points where I explore a seed and pull forward and let the writing form around me. I hope that the reader experiences something similar. Discovery is what keeps me coming back to my writing. I’m lucky, after forty years, I still discover something new in the world. There’s a universe inside of us waiting there. Sounds corny, but it’s true for me.

How long does it take you to close the gap between the work as you imagine it and the real, finished piece?
The gap between initial conception of a piece and a finished piece varies greatly; as Robert Frost said, “a poem is never finished, merely abandoned.” I began writing when I was a city truck driver, so I seldom had time to write much down between deliveries. But I did carry a small writing pad around with me and I would jot an idea down, something like, “gravel ticking in the fender wells by the Missouri.” Images mostly. Now, I soak in details of imagery, seldom writing them down. But when I sit down to write, I pursue on paper those images. The imagery and metaphorical world lead me to places that are workable. I don’t throw much away. I’ve been working for 5 years on a manuscript now, that’s sitting at a publisher. I’m touching it up, working on the language, taking some poems out. Some of the poems I wrote years and years ago, and I’m still trying to find the “finished” product.

Do you have a creative routine - a ritual that helps get you in the creative zone?
My creative zone has stayed the same over the years, although the ritual has changed a bit. Early on, I wrote a lot in long hand. I liked the intimacy of pencil and paper. I did that for years. Then I would type up drafts, smoking a cigarette, drinking coffee, sometimes a beer. My typewriter was an old IBM Selectric and the carriage rocked the desk like hitting chuck holes with a car. It was a physical experience. Now, I write in a healthier way, the cigarettes and beer are long gone, two computers, many drafts, and some poems can go into 20 to 30 drafts; prose can come faster for me. Sometimes the fire is hot, other times it’s hard to find an ember. But I don’t believe in writer’s block, I just call it a bad day. I do like writing poems before lunch, and prose right before bedtime. I edit poems during mornings when the poems won’t come. I’m retired now, so that has opened-up space in my life for such luxuries. For twenty years, everything happened on Fridays as I was grading papers and reading student work and preparing for classes. I worked two different types of jobs: one as university lecturer, the other as a college scheduler. I enjoyed both jobs, but they sucked my time away.

Name a book/author/artist that you feel deserves more recognition.
Weldon Kees, in “Aspects of Robinson,” ends with these partial lines: “the brief- / Case, covert topcoat, clothes for spring, all covering / His sad and usual heart, dry as a winter leaf.” When I first read a Weldon Kees’ poems, I felt I had discovered a whole new type of poem and world. There was a new path into creativity and imagery. The more I read, the more I felt I learned about writing, movement, imagery, and sincerity. There was compassion, sadness, beauty, and the ordinary.

1926 By Weldon Kees

The porchlight coming on again,
Early November, the dead leaves
Raked in piles, the wicker swing
Creaking. Across the lots
A phonograph is playing Ja-Da.

An orange moon. I see the lives
Of neighbors, mapped and marred
Like all the wars ahead, and R.
Insane, B. with his throat cut,
Fifteen years from now, in Omaha.

I did not know them then.
My airedale scratches at the door.
And I am back from seeing Milton Sills
And Doris Kenyon. Twelve years old.
The porchlight coming on again.

What surprising reactions have you gotten to your work?
I was visiting writer at Creighton University once where I was teaching as a Lecturer. I read poems from my book Dare that had just been published. Faculty and students were very gracious and attentive. When I finished, there were the normal questions students have: “How do you deal with writer’s block? Who’s your biggest influence? Where do you write?” One student stood up and asked, “Is it hard being a political poet?” I had never considered myself a political poet. And I told the student that. Of course, Creighton students are very gifted in many ways. He explained how many of my subjects were about people who were homeless, lost, had silent challenges, people who suffered. I thanked him. I realized at that moment what Orwell had once said, and I’m paraphrasing; “Not having a political opinion is a political opinion.” I also realized the word “political” had become a somewhat demonized pejorative. But I took the student’s observation as a compliment, even though I had not thought of myself in that manner. It’s somewhat an advantage to be blind to one’s muse.

Have you had to make tradeoffs in order to have time for creativity in your life?
Something I’ve had to come to terms with in the past year is the need not just to make time for writing, but for daydreaming as well. Much of my zest and motivation to write originally came when I was a child and had more time to wander and explore my small world without thinking about responsibilities. When I began writing as a profession with the purposeful intent to be published, I focused so much on output that I didn’t allow time for daydreaming. I didn’t realize how much of my motivation would decrease and so I’ve had to adjust. Since I made time in my day for ambling around my neighborhood or exploring hiking trails, I ironically write faster and with more passion, actually getting more pieces written than before. So, I guess, I’ve had to make a trade off with my adult self and societal sense of productivity, and to truly believe that a high output/words on the page does not necessarily equal a healthy writing life. Without putting in the time and the intention of daydreaming, and feeding my motivation, I will burn out and lose words the next day, which neutralizes the sense of progress I achieved the day before.

Who was the first author or artist to broaden your worldview?
Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli films completely flipped my perception of the world. Specifically, his incredibly moving and tear-jerking Grave of the Fireflies challenged my American viewpoint of history and how I thought of war.

When did you first realize you wanted to be an author/artist?
Since I was six years old. I’ve never wanted to be anything else. Sometimes it feels like I’d already decided what I wanted to be in a past life, when I was a teacher or a construction worker and promised myself that next time around things would be different. The other things I ‘wanted to be’ when I was six was a cowgirl, a missionary, and a princess. Writer was the only thing that made sense after I turned nine.

What word do you feel should be brought back into popular usage?
Growlery, coined by Charles Dickens. Defined as ‘a place you can retreat from the world when you’re in a bad mood.’

What historical time would you most like to live in?
Can I say the future? I would like to live in a time where women have autonomy over their bodies, when artists/creatives are paid a universal living wage along with the rest of society, when Black Lives Matter, and when the LGBTQIA+ are celebrated instead of discriminated against.

What's the last book you didn't finish reading, and why did you put it down?
This answer goes back to my earlier response about allowing myself more time to daydream. The last book I put down was Steven King’s On Writing, and it wasn’t because I lost interest, but because I was burnt out not just on writing, but on any creative pursuit. I intend to go back to it when I have the mental energy. This is why it is so important for me to allow myself reflection.

Name a book/author/artist that you feel deserves more recognition.
I love to read, but not just books. One artist/storyteller who is just incredible is Punko and her webcomic Stagtown, which is a horror story based about a resourceful and clever girl living in a town that won’t let her leave. Her art and story woven together is one of the creepiest experiences ever, and everyone should go read it.

Name a favorite film or other visual work that has influenced the way you shape your stories.
Hands down, Studio Ghibli films. The beautiful and detailed animation, combined with the depth and richness of mostly girl main characters, allowed me to dream of sweeping, fantastic landscapes populated by women unbound by gender norms or societal expectations. Watching Disney movies growing up, I’d always wished for characters that had more control over the plot and drove the narrative in more interesting ways, and Studio Ghibli delivered on both of those desires and on so much more.

Have you had to make tradeoffs in order to have time for creativity in your life?
I’m a high school English teacher, and so juggling writing with marking essays and planning lessons has always been a challenge! I usually set aside time on a Sunday afternoon to write and sometimes it is difficult to get myself into a creative headspace with Monday looming. However, next year I have been able to negotiate an 80% timetable with my school - this means I’ll have all of Friday to write, which I’m very much looking forward to.

Who was the first author or artist to broaden your worldview?
The catalyst for my poetic dabblings has to be the AQA English Literature GCSE anthology which features poetry by Carol Ann Duffy. Her poetry was my first experience of modern free verse, unconstrained by tedious metre or archaic rhyme schemes. Her approach to womanhood, sexuality, and society was incredibly refreshing and it certainly served as inspiration for my first, tentative attempts at serious poetry.

What word do you feel should be brought back into popular usage?
I absolutely love the word ‘splendiferous’, meaning wonderful, impressive, much-admired. Those four syllables have some delicious sibilance and the soft sounds make it ridiculously fun to say, especially out loud.

How long does it take you to close the gap between the work as you imagine it and the real, finished piece?
I handwrite the first drafts of my poems into a notebook. Some leave the notebook faster than others, often depending on how easy I found the drafting process – sometimes a poem demands to be finished the same day, others have been in the notebook for a year and are still waiting, making me feel horribly guilty. The next stage is wrestling the poems onto a Word document, focusing first on getting down the language and what I think it needs to say. I’ll often leave poems to ‘marinate’ at this point, before returning, usually a day or so later, to look at form and structure, building the words into something which works. I’m very lucky that my partner, another English Literature graduate, serves as my live-in editor. I wait anxiously whilst he goes through the poem, then we decide on a final edit together – it’s at this point that I feel the poem is finished and ready to be sent out into the world. All of this might be achieved in a day, or in six months, depending on how much of a fight those early drafts want to give me.

What's the last book you didn't finish reading, and why did you put it down?
Bleak House by Charles Dickens, and this was my second attempt! I failed to get past the first chapter whilst at university, but thought I would try again recently when I unboxed all my classics having just moved into our new home. Unfortunately, the prose is just so unnecessarily dense, even by Dickens’ standards, and when I have so little time to read for pleasure, I figured it shouldn’t feel like this much of a slog. Equally, the book’s gargantuan length did not work in its favour.

Name a book/author/artist that you feel deserves more recognition.
I am a huge fan of Lancashire-based poet, Michael Symmons Roberts. His poetry has certainly encouraged me to experiment with imagery and figurative language, and has helped me clamber out of the hole that is writer’s block on more than one occasion. In particular, his collection Corpus, is full of the most intricate images of light, nature, humanity and faith.

Name a favorite film or other visual work that has influenced the way you shape your stories.
I have a collection of ecopoetry coming out next year and various nature documentary films inspired the poems, which centre on non-human, mostly marine subjects. My Octopus Teacher and its portrayal of the relationship between filmmaker Craig Foster and a wild octopus in a South African kelp forest made me want to explore human interactions with the natural world.

Have you had to make tradeoffs in order to have time for creativity in your life?
Yes, without a doubt. I missed out on a lot when I was a performing artist especially. Now that I’m no longer traveling, it’s not as drastic, but the compromises are still there. Sometimes we also have to make tradeoffs in relationships, too, especially if people aren’t supportive or want to dictate too much their own ideas about our work, or art and creativity more generally. The practice of protecting time and energy for work is a life practice for so many of us, I think, and that connects to all kinds of parts of life, especially relationships, which also require time and energy. And we live in a world with very narrow views of what makes something valuable. So yes, like others, I have made hard choices that were tradeoffs. But I know that the other side of the equation, constantly choosing against myself and my creativity, would have worse consequences, and I think many of us here would agree.

Who was the first author or artist to broaden your worldview?
Probably the first was Thoreau. We read part of Walden in a high school American Literature class and I was captivated, especially by the chapter on “Solitude.” It wasn’t so much about whether or not Thoreau himself was alone, we know of course he was getting visitors all the time in the woods, as he notes, but it was about how he wrote about the natural world and his connection to it, and how significant that connection is—and even more, how it feels. He starts, “This is a delicious evening…” and I don’t know that I had ever before thought about using “food words” for that sort of experience, yet I immediately knew exactly what kind of evening it was. It also opened my mind to the idea that our words and our art can be so full of multilayered meanings, and how our experiences can be about both one thing and also another thing entirely, or many things, all at the same time. That was a big shift for me, especially in terms of my own self-understanding and thinking about myself in relation to the world. I’ve come back to his work as a basis for my own artistic work and I once sat in the reconstruction of his cabin at Walden Pond and read aloud, alone, the “Solitude” chapter, because I wanted to hear and feel the words in that environment. People walking by probably thought I was nuts.

When did you first realize you wanted to be an author/artist?
The first time I really thought to myself: “I want to write,” I think I was in middle school. I had written some poetry I was afraid to show anyone (I wonder where it is now!) and I had lost myself in such an enjoyable way in the process, I thought “this is it.” I wish I could say I stayed with that art form but as life goes, my creative writing practice had a lot of ups and downs as I pursued other artistic practices. But as I look back, I can see clear periods in my life where creative writing has been an important outlet for me.

How long does it take you to close the gap between the work as you imagine it and the real, finished piece?
There are two ways my poetry seems to evolve. One way is that I’ll suddenly know what I want to write about and how and it will pour out of me. The editing process sometimes goes quickly, maybe a few days if I can get enough time to focus on the piece each day, while it is somewhere still sitting fresh in my mind. Other times I just work with an idea, a sentence, like an aphorism I’ll come up with late at night or I’ll like how certain words sound in a particular order, or maybe an image, so I’m working outward from something with no real sense of what the finished piece is going to be. I’m just playing with it until it reveals itself to me. That can take a long time. I have lots of little sentences and ideas scribbled around in notebooks waiting for me to figure out what they are actually about.

What historical time would you most like to live in?
There are a lot of time periods I’d like to visit, but I’m not ready to give up modern dental care, so I guess I’ll stay put.

What's the last book you didn't finish reading, and why did you put it down?
The Splendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore. I’d read Texas Gothic and when I read things by women authors that I enjoy, even if it’s in a genre or category I don’t usually read, I like to read everything else of theirs that I can. It may be that it hit a little close to home; a performer who is not performing grappling with a big life change is something I can relate to since the pandemic started. I also somehow couldn’t get into the story; I do enjoy reading YA books but this one just didn’t land for me.

Name a book/author/artist that you feel deserves more recognition.
This one is easy. Shirley Jackson. I’ve given myself the assignment of reading most of her work this summer (I’d read The Haunting of Hill House a few years ago after watching the Netflix series) and I find myself utterly confounded by how beautiful and compelling her writing is, even when she is describing some of humanity’s darkest thoughts, actions, and experiences. She reveals so many things we try to keep unsaid, unshared, unthought, in disturbing stories that read like prose poems.

Have you had to make tradeoffs in order to have time for creativity in your life?
Yes! But not in a way that you'd expect. To be honest, my mental illness has greatly impacted my life, and I've spent a good chunk of my 20s cooped up at home as an unemployed dependent. A NEET, if you will. As one can expect, it's a lot of guilt and self-loathing involved, and I wouldn't wish that sort of anguish upon anyone. To everyone reading this, please take care of your mental health, especially during these times of distressing global developments.

Who was the first author or artist to broaden your worldview?
That would be Neil Gaiman! I read The Graveyard Book and Coraline as a kid, and they both left lasting impressions on me. I didn't realize it at first, but I was fascinated by the way Mr. Gaiman explored difficult subjects through a child's perspective. I also loved the way his prose built a distinct atmosphere, dark yet whimsical.

What do you want people to take away from your work?
As a writer of space fantasy, I want people to feel a sense of wonder from my stories. Because fantasy, in all forms, is an escape. In the end, I just want readers to have a good time in these cosmic worlds that I build.

Do you have a creative routine - a ritual that helps get you in the creative zone?
I follow a loose schedule, but I need long breaks interspersed between periods of writing to avoid creative burnout. This must be obvious, but rest is very important in maintaining any sort of focus in the long term.

Name a book/author/artist that you feel deserves more recognition.
Recently, I discovered a webcomic called Death-Head's Deal by Niuniente, and I couldn't recommend it enough! The character design, world-building, and storytelling are all excellent. Noir lovers should definitely check it out. And it does tackle various adult themes, so please view with discretion!

Name a favorite film or other visual work that has influenced the way you shape a story.
The animated films by Studio Ghibli have influenced me in so many ways! Some favorites are Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and Kiki's Delivery Service. But all the films from Ghibli have gorgeous scenery, as well as deep messages about what it means to be human, and those elements are what I enjoy the most, so I end up focusing on the same when developing my own stories.

Have you had to make tradeoffs in order to have time for creativity in your life?
I’ve always thought that if I didn’t spend so much time reading and writing, I’d have a richer social life. And if I wasn’t living inside of my head with my stories and characters, I’d probably relate easier to real-life people. So yes, there are sacrifices….the value of those sacrifices is its own question, though!

Who was the first author or artist to broaden your worldview?
I read The Kiterunner, by Khaled Hosseini, in high school because I thought it would be part of next year’s curriculum (it wasn’t). It opened my eyes to the types of stories that can only be told in other parts of the world, where inequity and chaos often thrive. Now I find myself reading as much literature from other parts of the world as I do Western literature. 

When did you first realize you wanted to be an author/artist?
I never realized that I wanted to be a writer. It just always was, for as long as I can remember. Even before writing, I was a natural oral storyteller. 

What word do you feel should be brought back into popular usage?
Prattle is a good word, and with all the prattling going on in politics and social discourse, you'd think the word would've remained popular.

Name a book/author/artist that you feel deserves more recognition.
One author who deserves more recognition is Rawi Hage. He won an award for his debut novel but despite getting stronger as a storyteller, his books are becoming less and less popular. I think this is because he sometimes breaks the Canadian immigrant myth, which the literati in Canada don’t like hearing about. An artist in need of more recognition is Annie Pootoogook. She combines skill with simplicity and humor with symbolism to create art that not enough people have seen. 

Whose work do you feel most resembles your own?
My work most resembles Jack Gilbert and the often-replicated Charles Bukowski. This is something I can’t help. I’d been writing poems and stories before I’d met either author and actually discovered myself within their already-existing poems. It was uncanny. 

Who was the first author or artist to broaden your worldview?
Interesting question, but for me it was the reverse of what is implied here. My worldview was established before I became a poet/ writer. I’ll add, though waxing spiritual (Judeo-Christian), my faith not only informs my writing but also enriches it. The subtext may be subtle or [to varying degrees] overt, depending on the audience. And regardless of who that audience might be, I won't compromise the literary quality that I strive for, whether I it be a speculative fiction story for a genre venue or a psalm-like poem for my congregation, it doesn't matter (I’ve done hundreds of these stories and poems).

Who do you think is the most misunderstood historical figure?
Jesus. I am not being facetious, nor super religious. Though I make no apology if that were the case, I will say that his words are brilliant from a literary point of view—the Scriptures offer a plethora of poetic devices worthy of study, not to mention the beautiful forms of Hebraic poetry [let alone their meaning]. From horror to love and duplicity, to empathy and sacrifice, there is so much that inspires my work in those pages.

What word do you feel should be brought back into popular usage?
“Regardless” and any other word subverted by politicians!

What do you want people to take away from your work?
I work hard with the essential elements, which I summarize with the acronym LIMS, which stands for Language, Image, Music, Structure. This is not an academic checklist but something that works together in the background to produce a synergism—it’s something like a soup—I know it’s good when I taste all the ingredients/elements in there working in concert to produce something which is more than the sum of its parts. However, I am more conscious about having literary depth [an integral part of Language]. Without it, why should anyone care to read it (or reread it)?

How long does it take you to close the gap between the work as you imagine it and the real, finished piece?
After writing a few thousand poems, that gap is small. However, it may still take days, weeks, it even months to get layers f meaning worked in [some of those ethereal] that will entice the reader to want to read more of my work.

Do you have a creative routine - a ritual that helps get you in the creative zone?
Unlike many prose writers I know, especially those under contract, I don't strap myself to my “desk” and force myself to write. Bless those that choose that strategy of leading their muse to the writing table. I am constantly stimulated so I don't feel the pressure to sit down at 5 am and write until 7 or 8. Then again, I am retired and have the luxury of writing when I feel like it. I do like intelligent prompts but I can write to sh***y ones just to prove (to myself) that I can (though I may curse the promoter for the lazy abstract prompt). I will say that when I drive, I get a lot of ideas. I thank God for junk mail (on the seat of my car) so I quickly scribble a few words down before they evaporate... like dreams do in my waking moments.

What's the last book you didn't finish reading, and why did you put it down?
I don’t remember, but if it doesn’t grab me by the first page, I don’t buy it. [And that does not imply action-only openings are the best ones; a palpable sense of pending action is often better—the mood is thick, the setting depicts it.]

What surprising reactions have you gotten to your work?
Besides my imagery, people often notice my effective line breaks that create tension. And they notice the sonics in my work, too. In lyrical poems, this is obvious to the ear), but in conversational poems, where there are fewer poetic devices to lift the prose into poetry, rhythm is one thing with extreme importance—that, I can control; I work hard at [and line breaks take on a more important roll too].

Name a favorite film or other visual work that has influenced the way you shape a story.
Though I don't have a specific film or visual in mind, I do use cinemagraphic techniques in my poetry and prose. Often times, especially when I don't know where the story or poem is going, I will start with setting, imagery rich to set the mood, and later revise to include foreshadowing. I may start with a panorama and zoom in, or vice versa. I don't have a soundtrack to help the opening like a movie does, but I have words and their music to create equivalent emotional effects.

Have you had to make tradeoffs in order to have time for creativity in your life?
Nothing huge, but little things: I love to read, and when I'm working furiously on an illustration project I might end up going days without having time for reading, which I hate. I also end up working very late into the night so my sleep schedule can be very irregular.

Who was the first author or artist to broaden your worldview?
Gosh, that's really hard to say. Going way, way back to early childhood, I was entranced by Jill Barklem's Brambly Hedge books (particularly the illustrations, but the stories too), and also by W. Heath Robinson's illustrations of incredible, ridiculous inventions. I don't remember a time before I knew either of them so it's hard to say if they broadened my worldview exactly, but I'm sure they helped shape the way I see the world.

When did you first realize you wanted to be an author/artist?
Not until I was about 16 or 17. I'd toyed with the idea before, but then I did an EP (Extended Project) at school, where I got to illustrate Harry Potter. That was an amazing experience, and as soon as I started, I knew I wanted to be an illustrator.

What word do you feel should be brought back into popular usage?
”Lollygagger”: A lazy person, one who lollygags; a slacker, ne'er-do-well.

What is your most evocative memory?
Running around and playing in The New Forest (a national park in the south of England) when I was a child. I remember the trees and the gorse and the smell and feel of the ground and the air.

How long does it take you to close the gap between the work as you imagine it and the real, finished piece?
It varies a lot! But generally my ideas translate quite quickly on to paper, and what takes time is just filling in all the details. The rough sketch might take only a few minutes (if that), then maybe an hour for refining it, outlining everything, and then it can be hours and hours (or days) of work to finish the piece.

What historical time would you most like to live in?
I probably wouldn't survive long, but I'd love to see dinosaurs ... so that gives me about 165 million years to choose between.

What's the last book you didn't finish reading, and why did you put it down?
Well, I have several on the go at the moment, but I fully intend to (eventually) finish them all ... I can't actually remember the last time I simply gave up on a book. Some of them just have very long waiting periods before I finish them!

Name a book/author/artist that you feel deserves more recognition.
Pat O'Shea's The Hounds of the Morrigan. I recommend this book to anyone who will listen.

Whose work do you feel most resembles your own?
It's a tie between Arthur Rackham and Edward Gorey.

Name a favorite film or other visual work that has influenced the way you shape your stories.
Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty (1959). Every frame could be a beautiful, perfectly constructed book illustration. Watching it feels like watching a book come to life.

Have you had to make tradeoffs in order to have time for creativity in your life?
It's less about time and more about energy and attention. The survival requirement of working has done irreparable damage to my output. You can get so distracted, and there's an almost infinite supply of people who will waste your time. Of course, you need things to write about too, and in that way no interaction is completely wasted. That being said, I find working a full-time job and a serious writing life to be incompatible. I've made great financial sacrifices to continue writing. I would rather live on pine needles and dewdrops than work forty hours a week and not have the energy to write.

Who was the first author or artist to broaden your worldview?
I'm going to answer this with respect to poetry. For many years I had a neutral or even slightly antagonistic relationship with poetry. Mary Oliver, a fairly common gateway poet, cracked me open first. Her early work still stands strong. And then Rilke told me to change my life, and I did. My second boyfriend introduced me to Mary Ruefle, who may now be my favorite. Her poems detonate in your soul, opening windows you never knew were there. If I can write one poem as good as any of hers, I've done my work.

When did you first realize you wanted to be an author/artist?
I don't think it was a conscious choice, or much of a desire at all in the beginning. It was just something I did. In some ways, I don't write my stories and poems; they write me. It was only in the last several years that I began to take writing more seriously, as something like a job, though I loathe to call it that. But I would say since late high school/early college, it's been important to me. Now, it's almost all I've got. Writing is the one thing not even love has a chance of taking away from me.

What historical time would you most like to live in?
The Pre-Christian Celtic world. I feel there's a lack today of living with wild pagan abandon. Much of it was the same drudgery that characterizes life in general, I'm sure, and no time is a paradise, but I'm in it for the blood and muck as well. And I believe the Celts would have understood better than we do the beauty and fullness of embracing the shit as well as the gold. That's life - celebrate it wantonly, because it's (probably) all we get.

Name a book/author/artist that you feel deserves more recognition.
Most of the best ones, in any medium, are buried in commercial or overly accessible crap. I'd like to elevate author John Crowley. His short story "Snow" might be the best I've ever read, and his novel Little, Big is the best fantasy novel ever written. He writes highly literary speculative fiction for the most part. He's at the end of his career and although he has the adoration of many of his contemporaries and critics (Harold Bloom was a champion of his work, for example), he never really "made it." I think he's too smart to be widely enjoyed.

Name a favorite film or other visual work that has influenced the way you shape your stories.
I'm greatly inspired by film, more for fiction than poetry. After watching all of Tarkovsky's films during the pandemic, they live in my head now. His expressionistic style, his use of elemental imagery, his oblique approach to storytelling. His films give me the courage to write in a style that reflects how I experience reality, even if it doesn't conform to the aesthetic fashions of our time.

When did you first realize you wanted to be an author?
I don't think there was ever a time when I didn't want to be a writer. In second grade, one of my teachers was bowled over by a poem I'd written about snow. I don't recall the words. She exclaimed, "Your poem is going into the next issue of the school paper!" Afterwards, I tried to capitalize on my success by submitting a second poem, but the editors opted not to publish it because they didn't want to feature my work twice in a row. My teacher was disgusted, as she'd tried so hard to make nepotism work in my favor. At age 11, I wrote for and edited a classroom newspaper that I'd launched myself. I gave my paper the amusing name of "Friday Friend", since it took all week to produce the damn thing. By high school, I had my own column in the local paper. My editor gave me permission to write about the seedy underbelly of the community. I took to the task with zeal. Since only 4,000 people lived in town, I gained a lot of notoriety in a very short time.

What word do you feel should be brought back into popular usage?
I'm partial to "shenanigans." It's such a fun and colorful word that eloquently describes random mischief. "Rambunctious" is another good one, as in "rambunctious shenanigans" (the best kind).

What is your most evocative memory?
At age 63, I have so many memories that it's difficult to choose just one. One particular image sticks with me, for no apparent reason. I was about ten years old. While relaxing on my parents' couch, I stuck both of my feet into a random paper bag that lay on a nearby coffee table. The bag caught dramatic rays of light from a nearby window. I felt transfixed by the glow. I don't remember how long I spent staring at my feet. It could have been as long as an hour, or as short as ten minutes. I remember telling myself, "I am going to try to remember this moment for the rest of my life." So far, I have kept my vow.

Name a book/author/artist that you feel deserves recognition.
In the mid-1990s, I discovered a couple of Diane Wakowski's poetry books. I remember being astonished by her straightforward eloquence. It seemed criminally unfair that she never received more recognition for her work. No doubt, the male-dominated publishing community of the 1960s and 1970s had a lot to do with that neglect. Because Diane wasn't considered to be physically attractive according to their standards, she was often passed over. Her perceived lack of adherence to conventional beauty norms was often a theme in her work. Most people have never heard of Wakowski, although she has published more than two dozen books (many with Black Sparrow Press). Black Sparrow is primarily known as Charles Bukowski's publisher, and of course he is much more famous. I have an autographed edition of Wakowski's book, The Emerald City of Las Vegas, which I purchased directly from her quite a few years ago.

Whose work do you feel most resembles your own?
I have been deeply influenced by the 106-year-old, Archy and Mehitabel by Don Marquis. This book was way ahead of its time, as it chronicled the escapades of Archy, a cockroach who claimed to be the reincarnation of a free verse poet, and Mehitabel, an irascible alley cat who insisted she was the latest incarnation of Cleopatra. Archy's style was at once humorous and morose. A tiny, humble insect, stuck with a human's manual typewriter, he had to express himself by jumping on the keys with all his might. As a result, Archy's style employed a direct sort of brevity—poetic, yet appealingly prose-like. The poor guy couldn't afford to waste words. Much of my own writing utilizes a similar minimalism.

Name a favorite film or other visual work that has influenced the way you shape your stories.
So many films have impacted my style. I am especially partial to indie flicks—Stranger Than Paradise by Jim Jarmusch immediately springs to mind. Jarmusch's spare black-and-white cinematography and austere dialogue made a huge impact on me when I saw the movie in the mid-80s. I loved the fact that his main characters were able to convey so much emotion in a few curt words. Eddie's sentence, “You know, it's funny... you come to someplace new, and everything looks just the same" is so deep, even though his dialogue is deceptively simple. The characters don't have money, glamorous faces or exciting adventures, yet I couldn't take my eyes from the screen. I strive for my own work to have a similar impact on readers, even when I describe mundane events.

Have you had to make tradeoffs in order to have time for creativity in your life?
Yes, absolutely. It can be difficult to prioritize my writing when there’s so much else to get done, and I have to make a conscious effort every week to set aside time to write. 24 hours in a day rarely feels like enough! (My husband and I, nerds that we are, regularly pine after having our own TARDIS.)

Who was the first author or artist to broaden your worldview?
Vonda McIntyre. I discovered her books in elementary school, starting with Starfarers, and was quite surprised to read about a future with fundamentally different values than those I had been taught (polyamory versus monogamy, for example). My first time seeing a nonbinary character was in her work, as well; I still remember the shock of being halfway through the book and realizing I had no idea if this person was a man or a woman. And that’s why her work stood out to me—she shared a future not just with different technology, but with different kinds of people being accepted and celebrated. Compared to the other classic science fiction I was reading at the time, it was eye opening for sure.

When did you first realize you wanted to be an author/artist?
I knew by middle school that I wanted to be a writer. But for years I was trapped in a perfectionism spiral of being too afraid to actually write—what if it wasn’t good enough? I would write stories in my head, revisiting scenes over and over but never committing them to the page. But the more I learned about craft and talked to other writers, the more I internalized the message I heard over and over again: you can’t edit a blank page. A rough draft isn’t meant to be perfect, and to make your writing better, you have to have actually written. It sounds so simple, but it was a very difficult lesson to learn!

What word do you feel should be brought back into popular usage?
Fortnightly. From what I understand, it is still used in Canada and the UK. But here in the US, all we have is biweekly, AKA the most confusing word in the English language. It quite literally means two different things and the context is the same for both, so you can’t even make a guess. Twice a week, or every two weeks? Who knows! Therefore, in an ideal world, fortnightly=every two weeks, and biweekly=twice a week. Problem solved.

How long does it take you to close the gap between the work as you imagine it and the real, finished piece?
It varies—I write mostly short fiction, ranging from flash to stories over 7000 words, so my time to project completion can really depend on the length of the piece. I tend to follow the same process each time: initial idea, rough sketch of each scene, write the prose, send it to my critique group, edit and final polish, then submission. But it’s rarely that cut and dry. Every story tends to trip me up at a different point, which can be frustrating—if it was always the same thing, I feel like I could work on that roadblock specifically and improve my whole process. But maybe that’s part of the beauty of the creative process, and I should learn to embrace it.

Name a favorite film or other visual work that has influenced the way you shape your stories.
Gattaca has long been a favorite of mine: the compelling characters, the all-too-realistic worldbuilding, the beautiful dialogue, the soundtrack and cinematography. It’s just a gorgeous film, and it helped drive home for me that science fiction isn’t all spaceships and aliens (not that I don’t love those as well!). It can be meaningful and character-driven, aspects that I try to bring to all of my stories. Again and again, I am inspired by exploring not only the future, but humanity as well, in all our beauty and flaws. And, above all, our relationships with one another and how they define us.

Have you had to make tradeoffs in order to have time for creativity in your life?
Of course. Too many to mention.

Who was the first author or artist to broaden your worldview?
J.D. Salinger

When did you first realize you wanted to be an author/artist?
Happened by osmosis... always was writing things as a kid but got sidetracked by cinema.

What is the single best sentence you've ever read?
"O Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, grant us thy peace."

How long does it take you to close the gap between the work as you imagine it and the real, finished piece?
Varies. Sometimes 24 hours. Sometimes 10 years.

What historical time would you most like to live in?
19th century.

What's the last book you didn't finish reading, and why did you put it down?
The Maggot by John Fowles. Great mystery story for 300 pgs. and then takes a weird turn into the origins of Shakerism... clear there was going to be an ambiguous ending that didn't satisfy the build up... so I bailed.

Name a book/author/artist that you feel deserves more recognition.
Anton Chekhov

Have you had to make tradeoffs in order to have time for creativity in your life?
I believe there is always an opportunity cost. And as a working person one is always wanting for more time. 24 hours seems too less for a day. So yes, tradeoffs are made everyday, sometimes minor like skipping a diner with friends, or not attending a party, and sometimes major like cancelling vacation travel plans.

Who was the first author or artist to broaden your worldview?
I started with comics, but the first novel I ever read was Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, that I borrowed from my father’s Library. I loved it thoroughly. That was when the internet was not easily available, so I went to bookstores to buy whatever I could find from Aldous Huxley. With every new book I read from him, it widened my worldview and changed my perception to see the happening around me in new contexts.

What word do you feel should be brought back into popular usage?
I love the word Growlery. Have used it a few times here and there but it has been obsolete now, for I haven’t come across it ever in contemporary magazines or journals, and I do pride myself on being a voracious reader.

What do you want people to take away from your work?
Most of my work is based on true stories, human struggles, and resistance, and are fueled by what worries me as a citizen. I write about what is happening around me, in my society or community and try to bring the stories of people who are underrepresented (Not LGBTQ+, but religious, economic and political minorities who have been muted because they don’t matter economically or politically) So, I guess what people can take away from my work is the awareness and knowledge of what’s going on in the non-canon world.

How long does it take you to close the gap between the work as you imagine it and the real, finished piece?
I write in spurs. Pantser! So I usually finish a smaller work in a single sitting. Most of my flash, CNF and poetries are like that. But I am also working on a few longer projects with my Agent and Editor; a historical fiction novel I have been writing since 2012 and a Document-memoir I started last year. The first one is still in the 2nd draft stage, while the memoir is under final editing. So, there is no single or linear timeline.

Do you have a creative routine — a ritual that helps get you in the creative zone?
Oh, I suffer seriously from blocks. I go for months writing at least 3000 words every day and then months staring at the blank screen. But recently I have acquired a new habit, Morning pages. And they have been really helpful. I have developed a three page early morning routine.

What's the last book you didn't finish reading, and why did you put it down?
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. I started this novel when I read On Writing by Stephan King and found him praising the book a lot. So I started reading it critically rather than enjoying it as a reader, so that made the book too linear and stagnant after a point of time. I had to put it down.

Name a favorite film or other visual work that has influenced the way you shape a story.
It works as a muse, and I have revisited this movie dozens of times. The movie; Before Sunrise (1995) is a work of pure art, the language, the structure and the dialogue, everything inspires me to write more vividly and experiment with the language.

Have you had to make tradeoffs in order to have time for creativity in your life?
Yes, definitely. For me, this is about conserving energy and making sure I regularly have space and decision-making bandwidth to write. I spend less time socializing, I prioritize dedicated writing time every day, and I purposefully read and develop craft on an ongoing basis. I am lucky that the writing life suits my personality! The tradeoffs haven’t felt as sacrificial for me as they might if I was more extraverted or if I didn’t enjoy spending time alone.

Who was the first author or artist to broaden your worldview?
Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness. I was raised very conservative and sheltered, and this was the first book I read that dealt with issues of gender identity and sexual orientation in an open and exploratory way. Le Guin was extremely successful in prompting empathy in me for characters with fluid gender traits and orientation—one of the best things about fiction, in my opinion, is its ability to generate empathy.

When did you first realize you wanted to be an author/artist?
I wrote stories as a kid, and I wrote my first (incomplete) novel when I was 12 or 13. But I didn’t identify writing as a life choice until I was probably 21 or 22. I remember reading a lot of Neil Gaiman and fantasizing about a way of life where I could write for large portions of the day. After college, I began pursuing entrance to an MFA program, and got into one on my second year of applications. Seeing my writing professors live wise, curious, creative lives and being around peers who had the same passions was foundational and inspirational. I saw what it meant to live a writing life, and I loved it. I realized writing for me is less about being an author and more about a way of being in the world: maintaining a lifestyle that prioritizes writing, and living and filtering my experiences and thoughts on the page.

What historical time would you most like to live in?
I am forever frustrated that I missed second-wave feminism and the development of rock music in the 1970s and 1980s. So, even though it’s maybe not a very exciting answer, I think that's the time I would have liked to live in. I’m a big fan of women’s rights and indoor plumbing, so I wouldn’t want to go too much farther back.

What's the last book you didn't finish reading, and why did you put it down?
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. Full disclosure: I read one, maybe two chapters. I didn’t like the rhythm (or lack of rhythm) at the word level—too many descriptors and clauses stuffed into each sentence. And, by the second page, a cat was dead by roadkill. This appeared to be an attempt at an emotional hook or a tool to make the protagonist sympathetic. When animals or pets are used as emotional hooks, that’s a big “no thank you” for me. It feels like a cheap shortcut to gaining emotional investment from the reader. Also, I love animals, and using them like that feels disrespectful. Animals can (and should!) be full characters in their own right.

Name a book/author/artist that you feel deserves more recognition.
Australian writer Madeleine Ryan’s debut novel A Room Called Earth. I’m neurodivergent (autistic/ADHD), and this was the first book I’d ever read in my entire life where I felt represented and understood on the page. Ryan is autistic herself, and wrote the novel as stream of consciousness from the perspective of an adult autistic woman getting ready for and going to a party. It’s a fascinating work, fantastic use of point of view, and a beautiful representation of the kaleidoscopic interior life of a neurodivergent person. Reading it showed me how much I had been bending over backwards to find myself in every story I read, and it emphasized how powerful it is to be represented on the page.

Name a favorite film or other visual work that has influenced the way you shape your stories.
Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. It challenged the Western concepts of character development and function I had been taught. I was confused on my first watch-through, almost couldn’t follow the plot, because characters were ambiguous, functioning as both “good” and “bad.” The discomfort of not being able to identify the “in-group” vs. the “out-group” opened my mind to consider the true complexity of character in story. I was fascinated by that complexity and deeper truth of human experience that can be achieved when storytellers lean into blurring the lines of in-group vs. out-group, good vs. bad, and so forth.

Have you had to make tradeoffs in order to have time for creativity in your life?
Yes, I've had to make significant sacrifices which even includes missing out on a full 7-8 hours of sleep, as that was the only way to get the time to learn and work on my craft and passion. Sometimes life gets in the way, but I'm learning that it's just as important to make time for the things you love as well. In addition, I've also had to make financial sacrifices in order to continue to build my art business.

Who was the first author or artist to broaden your worldview?
I'd have to say that Bob Ross was the first artist to broaden my worldview, as he has such an extraordinary way of looking at the world around him. He brings such positivity, hope and possibility in his words and artwork. Although I was probably around 3 or 4 years of age at the time, I still admired his work and even watch his streams now for inspiration.

When did you first realize you wanted to be an author/artist?
I first realized I wanted to be an artist as early as I can remember, being around 3 years old (maybe earlier). My mother would always bring home art supplies, and she and my grandfather both taught me how to draw subjects from flowers to houses. I also remember she and I used to do a variety of crafts and projects around the house. It was something that just stuck with me, and I've been doing it ever since.

How long does it take you to close the gap between the work as you imagine it and the real, finished piece?
It usually depends on the subject matter, and the emotion or story I’m trying to convey through my work. This time can range anywhere from hours to a week or more. Sometimes, the work I envision does not come out how I originally imagined it, so I have to step away for a while, study the current work, and try to figure out how I can make improvements or add/take out any elements in the piece to convey the emotion more clearly.

When creating fluid art however, it is a process that does involve some pre planning with color combinations and techniques beforehand. It is also a style of art that requires trust and making yourself vulnerable to the process due to the free and unpredictable nature of it. This for me can be both rewarding and challenging, as it doesn’t always produce the results I envision. As I learn and continue to grow in my craft, I am also realizing that sometimes a piece may not come out how I’d like, but something beautiful and inspiring can still be created even if it’s not how I imagined it.

Name a book/author/artist that you feel deserves more recognition.
An artist that I feel deserves more recognition would probably be Edward Mitchell Bannister, who was one of few African American Canadian landscape painters in the nineteenth century. He began as a photographer and portraitist until he gravitated to landscape painting. His work incorporates much inspiration from his time in Rhode Island as a sailor. Edward’s compositions also focused on color and atmosphere, and much of his work can be compared to Albert Bierstadt. I like how the style of romanticism created emotion, and as a viewer enabled me to self-reflect. It really portrays the idea of humans’ connection with nature, as I aim to portray in my own work.

Name a favorite film or other visual work that has influenced the way you shape your stories.
In college, I wrote a research paper for art history class on Albert Bierstadt’s artwork. This project helped me to realize the importance of human beings connecting with nature, and the impact nature has on our mental and emotional well-being. One artwork in particular that caught my attention not only aesthetically, but conceptually was the artwork titled “The Falls of St. Anthony”, which depicts the destruction of one of the United States most unique sites. It raised questions and topics such as how nature possesses an immortal soul that triggers the human mind, enabling us to self-reflect, become inspired, create an adventure, and escape from the materialized world that humans have gradually constructed over centuries. Nature has always inspired me, but this subject was so intriguing to me that I decided to focus on this as a subject matter in my own work, and even incorporate it in abstract forms of art.

Have you had to make tradeoffs in order to have time for creativity in your life?
When I was employed, the best writing time for me were those 3-4 day weekends that holidays offered, during which I would spend about 2 days sharpening pencils and shifting furniture, and saving the last day or so for actual writing. So, yes, I sacrificed many a holiday to deal with the blank page.

Who was the first author or artist to broaden your worldview?
I don’t know whether he broadened my worldview, but I couldn’t get enough of Poe when I was a very young reader. He scared the pants off me.

When did you first realize you wanted to be an author/artist?
Ever since reading Poe I’ve wanted to own the power to invade other reader’s dreams just as he invaded mine.

What word do you feel should be brought back into popular usage?
“Presently.” Nowadays, it seems to be used only to signify “currently,” which is ok, but I very rarely hear its second meaning—”in a little while”-- which I always found to be useful.

How long does it take you to close the gap between the work as you imagine it and the real, finished piece?
I usually spend a considerable amount of time thinking about what I want to write, and once I sit down to write, I usually know pretty well where I intend to go, and then I begin constructing the work like a piece of masonry, brick-by-brick.

What historical time would you most like to live in?
At my advanced age, I’m pretty solidly entrenched in my own time, but if i were to have the option of being transferred to another era, I would certainly prefer one where I could have access to both indoor plumbing and plenty of the recognized currency.

What's the last book you didn't finish reading, and why did you put it down?
I usually finish everything I read as a matter of principle, no matter how much I might hate it, but Finnegan’s Wake—which probably requires a slow word-by-word, phrase-by-phrase reading aloud, preferably in the accent of a Dubliner, to be understood (both consciously and unconsciously)—was simply too much for my physical and emotional stamina at the time.

Name a book/author/artist that you feel deserves more recognition.
Dino Buzzati, much of whose shorter work remains out-of-print or untranslated from the Italian.

For years I tried to acquire the translation rights for the latter but without success, until I gave up.

But I recently discovered that an earlier collection of his, “Catastrophe”, has been republished by Deckle Edge. If you’re fond of Kafka and the surreal, you’ll want to take a look at this sampling by a master of twentieth-century anomie.

Name a favorite film or other visual work that has influenced the way you shape your stories.
I’ve always loved the dialogue and content of the grittier Warner Bros.’ Depression-era films.

In fact, I based my first novel (unpublished) on them. The novel turned into a novella (partially published), which turned into a performance piece (performed twice), and which—for the past several years—I’ve been developing into a full-length play, whose potential audience (i.e., people who have actually seen and care about these movies) is diminishing, alas, with every passing day.

Have you had to make tradeoffs in order to have time for creativity in your life?
That used to be the case for me. Then I retired from my job as a college English prof. When I did, I promised myself I would write for ME in this phase of my life, and I’ve kept that promise.

Who was the first author or artist to broaden your worldview?
I’m sure it was Little Women! However, there was also a lot of terrible kiddie science fiction. . .

When did you first realize you wanted to be an author/artist?
3rd grade. Such a bookwormy kid. All I did was read. So why not write my own stuff?

What word do you feel should be brought back into popular usage?
How about the old Middle English word “routhe,” meaning pity or compassion? Here it is in Chaucer’s Book of the Duchess:

Such sorwe this lady to her tookThat trewely I, which made this book,Had swich pite and swich routheTo rede hir sorwe, that, by my trouthe,I ferde the worse al the morweAfter, to thenken on her sorwe.

“Erme” (grieve) from the same poem is a pretty kickass word, too. There are a lot of words of that sort. “Repine,” for example. I think of Margaret Atwood’s main character in Oryx and Crake, who suffers from “pointless repinings.”

What is your most evocative memory?
Waking up from a nightmare at about age three. I must have been born a book person. The nightmare featured a terrifying character named “Robber the Rat,” from a Thornton Burgess children’s book. All my other memories from that time are colored either by family photographs or family stories. That one is totally my own.

How long does it take you to close the gap between the work as you imagine it and the real, finished piece?
It depends. Sometimes something that seems pretty finished comes right out into the world. But other times, there’s a big struggle. I’ve spent years on some things. I do think the real writing is in the revision.

What historical time would you most like to live in?
I’d say late 16th century England, except I’d be dead of plague or in childbirth before I had time to enjoy it.

What’s the last book you didn’t finish reading, and why did you put it down?
A terrible fantasy novel with an unrepentant rapist as the main character. The novel seemed simultaneously to make excuses for the rape and ignore it as irrelevant as the plot moved forward. Ugh. It made me want to throw up. Rape happens, all manner of ugliness happens, and fiction does and should deal with that ugliness. I think that’s part of fiction’s job. I mean, I DID finish Blood Meridian. Did I like the experience? No. Does it have eye-scorching passages of purple prose in it? Yes. Do I think it’s one of the most profound indictments of Manifest Destiny in print? Yes. Gaaah, I even finished 50 Shades of Grey, because I was on a panel to discuss its impact on publishing and I didn’t want to be that person who says, “Well, I didn’t actually read the book, but. . .” It wasn’t even sexy, not even good bdsm, just incredibly stupid and so poorly written it gave me hives. But a book where the writer seems to be out to justify his horrifying main character while seeming to want us to identify with him (as opposed to American Psycho, where eventually we find out that’s not the case, and it’s satire)? No. DNF. I will say that Naked Lunch gave me actual bona-fide nightmares, and I wish I hadn’t finished it. But then, so did The Faerie Queene, and I’m glad I did.

Name a book/author/artist that you feel deserves more recognition.
Cecelia Holland, especially Floating Worlds. And I adore Nicola Griffith. I’d mention Hilary Mantel, but she is getting the recognition she so much deserves. Or Marilynne Robinson, but she too has the recognition she deserves. Or Toni Morrison, but she. . .etc. Or China Mieville, but he. . . I’ll shut up now. Oh, wait! Iain Banks! Still, Elon Musk named several of his lander vehicles after spaceships in Iain Banks’s work, so I guess even though I’m sorry I know that, Banks too has had plenty of recognition.

Whose work do you feel most resembles your own?
No idea. I do think Tony Hoagland’s discussion (in Real Sofistikashun) of what he calls “diction poetry” (differentiated from poetry that relies primarily on imagery, although I love great images) may be the kind I keep trying to write. Hoagland quotes Phoebe Milliken: “Unlike riding a bike, with poetry you never quite know how.”

Name a favorite film or other visual work that has influenced the way you shape your stories.
I have always been haunted by Forbidden Planet—saw it when I was around ten years old. Invisible “creatures from the ID” sneaking up on you! Didn’t matter that I had no idea what an id was at that point in my life. Never slept again.