Contributor

Brian Orth–Interview

by Suzanna Anderson Creates

Describe your creative space. Do you work at home, in public spaces, etc.?

When it comes to a writing space, I personally find the solitude of the outdoors often initiates the creative thought process more than any other set location. However, the act of writing itself usually takes place in the evenings at my writing desk (I’m a bit of a night owl and enjoy my routine).

What kind of materials do you use? Do you write by hand or type? What is your favorite writing utensil?

Many of my poms take their first breath inside my head and resonate there for several days before anything is ever eventually written down. Usually this involves several rough drafts written down on whatever I have lying around when a certain phrase catches my attention. All final drafts are typed and saved on my laptop for I am far too forgetful to have them anywhere else.

What is your routine for writing?

Answered above.

How long have you been writing? When did you start writing?

I have always been intrigued by the creativeness of literature, in particular fiction and poetry, since I was a young boy. My first attempts at writing were juvenile attempts at the short story. As a sophomore in college, I took several literature courses and eventually moved into the Creative Writing degree with an emphasis on poetry.

Who is your intended, or ideal, audience? Who do you write for?

I do not begin any piece of work with an intended audience but rather try to focus on the emotion/experience that my imagination is working through. Much of the poetry and fiction I admire, however, has its roots in the spirituality of the human psyche.

What inspires you to write? If you are blocked, what do you do?

Again, nature often inspires me, and if I am feeling blocked, I try to remove myself from the hectic nature of day to day life and find solace in the natural world.

What other things do you do besides writing? Do you dance or play golf, etc.?

I have recently returned to the hobby of baseball card collecting and also enjoy fishing and hunting. If there is a chance to be outdoors, I take it.

What is your favorite part of the creative process?

My favorite part of the creative process is the fascinating experience of how the mind works its way from point A to point B without exactly knowing why it does.

What is your advice to aspiring writers?

Read everything you can get your hands on. Take the time to read the classics or contemporary and experimental works you may not necessarily always gravitate to because this can lead to discoveries that will expand your style as a writer.

Check out Brian’s work in the issue Volume 3, Issue 2.

 

Buffy Shutt–Interview

by Suzanna Anderson Creates

The Magnolia Review: Describe your creative space. Do you work at home, in public spaces, etc.?

Buffy Shutt: I do most of my writing in a room I call my studio, but which is technically one-third of the pool house. It has lots of windows and there is lavender growing under the facing window. I spend my downtime wondering whether I should get up and water it. Then I tell myself that lavender loves being dry so stop looking for an excuse to get up. I sit at a small white desk, more like an old-fashioned vanity that my daughter bought when she went to college. I am afraid one day she is going to say she wants it for her apartment. She’ll take it away, and I won’t be able to write anymore.  I also have a stand-up desk next to this table. I try to write standing as much as possible since I have totally bought into sitting is the new smoking.

What kind of materials do you use? Do you write by hand or type? What is your favorite writing utensil?

I love the idea of writing by hand using a beautiful fountain pen, but I have terrible penmanship and sometimes I can’t read my own writing. I use my laptop and phone. I was tied to my phone, as many of us are, when I worked full-time in the corporate world; a time when you might say that the phone used me. Now I use it! I use it to capture my stray thoughts, first lines and ideas by writing emails to myself. I usually have the phone on or near me so I am my own most constant correspondent—the perfect pen pal except that when I read what I wrote I’m sometimes not exactly sure what I meant, they read like fragments from a dream.

What is your routine for writing?

I start writing in the morning, break for lunch and if things are going well; go back for an afternoon session, finishing up around 6:30. (But not every day cause life intervenes but maybe four out of seven). I try to work on two stories at a time. I let them compete for my attention. If one story lets me down, I make the other one my best friend and let it curry my favor. I guess I am so competitive I’ve created a process to keep a rivalry going with myself.

How long have you been writing? When did you start writing?

I think I wrote my first story when I was ten. I feel like I have been writing all my life, but I interpret the notion of writing broadly.  My definition is either infinitely sensible or an elaborate defense for not always writing fiction. Writing might be journaling, emailing “letters” to my friends, writing work-related memos to convince the higher-ups of a good idea or to get funding, or drafting big presentations where concise bullet points might make all the difference in getting a green light. Writing is a tool that can be put to use for lots of different purposes—all (maybe most) legit.

Who is your intended, or ideal, audience? Who do you write for?

I write for my best friend. She is my not-so-secret audience. She is also my first reader. I trust that her comments will help me write the story I want to write and not the one she wishes she could read.

What inspires you to write? If you are blocked, what do you do?

Reading inspires me.  Hearing live music or seeing dance or theatre performances also inspires me. Movies inspire me, too. My son is a sculptor and I have become more and more interested in and inspired by the visual arts. Blocked? I take a walk. And walk some more. I complain to my husband, who is also a writer (Peter Seth, his recent novel is What It Was Like) and very sympathetic. I busy myself knocking a few things off my on-going, Virgo forged to-do list. I start something new—bam! off the cuff! flying blind!—with no real idea of where it might lead me.

What other things do you do besides writing? Do you dance or play golf, etc.?

I practice yoga four times a week. I meditate. I take courses at a local college with two friends. I love sports and watch a lot of baseball and basketball. Both big distractions but I love it. And I spend time with my grandson who has opened a world of possibility to me and reminds me to be in the present moment, a headspace writers need to cultivate.

What is your favorite part of the creative process?

I have two favorite parts: getting something to a point where I’m not afraid to share it and having a reader respond to it—favorably, I hope, but any response at all is welcome and good.

What is your advice to aspiring writers?

Read omnivorously. Don’t slack on the revising part. Revise relentlessly. Join/start a writers’ group. Being a part of a small writers’ group has been a source of tremendous support for me. First, you have to show up with something to read; second, you have to listen to what your friend-editors are saying, and third, you get to spend time talking about writing with other writers which brings home the sublime realization: Hey, I’m a writer!

Check out Buffy’s story, winner of The Magnolia Review Ink Award, in Volume 3, Issue 2!

 

 

Joan McNerney–Interview

by Suzanna Anderson Creates

The Magnolia Review: Describe your creative space. Do you work at home, in public spaces, etc.?

Joan McNerney: I do my writing at home.  Often ideas surface during the day when I am swimming or driving in my car.  This is especially true about poems I am currently working on.

TMR: What kind of materials do you use? Do you write by hand or type? What is your favorite writing utensil?

JM: I had no problem switching from writing in pen to working on a computer.  I like using the computer because changes are made easily and keeping different ideas on file is simplified.  It is important to make paper copies of all my work because of the danger of my computer “crashing”.  Also have backups such as a thumb drive and DVD copies.

TMR: What is your routine for writing?

JM: I check my email every day. When inspiration strikes that is my idea of writer’s paradise.  Now since my retirement, I can spend most of the day working on my poetry if the spirit moves me to do so.

TMR: How long have you been writing? When did you start writing?

JM: I started writing in high school and was published in Young America Sings.  There has been so much progress for writers now with the internet and all the exciting on-line publications.  The e-mail is also a wonderful way to communicate with editors.

TMR: Who is your intended, or ideal, audience? Who do you write for?

JM: Anyone who takes the time to read my writing is applauded.  Especially young readers are appreciated.  Now with so many TV channels, computer games and videos, let us hope that the art of reading still flourishes.  The ability to learn and acquire new information is very high for readers.  Also it takes a creative leap to join the author in a voyage through the pages of literature.

TMR: What inspires you to write? If you are blocked, what do you do?

JM: Who knows what sets off an inspiration?  The creative process is a mystery.  When blocked, I read both print and on the computer.  Some time might be spent checking out markets, clearing out old files on my hard drive, putting finishing touches on some “poetry in progress”.

TMR: What other things do you do besides writing? Do you dance or play golf, etc.?

JM: I swim as often possible and maintain a steady presence at our local pools.  Also there are regular adult classes which are actually very good.  There are six sessions of two hours each and taught by practicing professors.  This year the history of fairy tales and of jazz will be explored.  It is exciting to be introduced to new things.

TMR: What is your favorite part of the creative process?

JM: Some poems just come out as finished.  These are usually quite good.   Being inspired makes the whole process worthwhile.  Creativity is a gift which is misunderstood.  People often want to know “how much money do you make” as if everything can be reduced to dollars and cents.  They miss the point that seeing the world through the lens of an artist is a reward in itself.

I must admit getting acceptances and being published in beautiful journals both in print and on line is very fulfilling.  Having been nominated four times for Best of the Net was very exciting for me.  Some other publications have called me “best poet of the year” and some have named me “resident poet” while others have called me “poet of the month.  All this has been very gratifying.

TMR: What is your advice to aspiring writers?

JM: Have patience and perseverance.  Remember there is much joy in creativity and don’t let anyone dissuade you from pursuing your goals. You might seek out other poets at poetry readings and join some face book poetry groups.  Remember that a rejection is only the reaction of an editor at one juncture in space and time.  Forge onward.

Check out Joan’s work in Volume 3, Issue 2.

Cynthia Gallaher–Interview

by Suzanna Anderson Creates

After years of writing at the kitchen table, at the library or sitting up in bed, I finally landed my own creative space. The kids were grown and my husband suggested a five foot-five-inch by 10 -foot enclosed back porch (heated) on the second floor of our home. Previously, it served as a closet and catchall for an odd assortment racks and boxes.

Cynthia Gallaher WayBackOffice

With a little paint, some new curtains, a desk and a desk lamp, my “Way Back” room has become my writing haven. Having a dedicated space to do my writing has made a bigger difference in my creative productivity than I even imagined.

I’ll only write by hand if I’m away from my desk. I use a lined journal with a quilted cover specially made by my sister Sharon. When the journal is full, I slip off the cover and replace it with another lined spiral-bound journal.  The spiral-bound format lets me pull out pages if I want to without ruining the whole journal. Pen of choice is the Pilot G-2 fine or medium point with blue ink. If I am home, or bring my laptop to a writer’s retreat, for example, I consistently write directly into a Word document.

Cynthia Gallaher SharonsJournal

I can write in the morning, the afternoon or the evening. I don’t work late into the night, but am known to get up before sunrise. It doesn’t really matter what time it is. What counts are all the other things I may have planned for a particular day or evening. It’s great to get a whole day cleared away to dedicate to my writing, but I inevitably find I can write for about four hours straight and that’s it. Then I need to do something else.

How long have I been writing? Yikes. Let’s just say I’ve been writing for decades—poetry, advertising copy, radio and TV commercials, plays, nonfiction, short fiction, business articles. I started writing poetry in high school around age 16 or so, but didn’t start doing anything with it or getting serious about writing until after college, a place where I did not major in English.

I slowly became part of the Chicago poetry scene and met like-minded poets at the open mic readings around town. We helped and encouraged one another. We still do. I’ve made many friendships with fellow writers that have lasted a lifetime. I don’t think I’d still be writing today if I hadn’t been encouraged early on.  Writing can be a lonely path, so we need others to make the writer’s life more rich and human.

It’s a proven fact that the biggest audience for poetry is other poets. So maybe I write poetry for other poets, or that fine breed of people who may not write poetry but avidly read it. I think the two plays I’m working on now will appeal to women of various ages, since they have strong women characters.

For me, the best part of the creative process is the process itself. The writing and rewriting, the excitement and adrenaline I get in the midst of a writing project I really love, the way a piece may evolve into something better than I expected when I first started. Not knowing how or where a piece of writing will take me and then being surprised where it does makes the effort of writing worthwhile.

I do enjoy pursuits beyond writing.  I’ve taken yoga classes for years. My recent poem in The Magnolia Review titled “Yoga Teacher Stokes the Sauna,” was based on an experience that took place soon before I decided to become a certified yoga teacher myself. I’ve been teaching yoga part-time now for nearly three years. The mindfulness of yoga is similar to the mindset needed when you sit down to write. I also make beaded mala necklaces and other beaded jewelry, dabble in drawing and painting, and tend an urban organic vegetable garden in my backyard.

Cynthia Gallaher FrugalPoetsPaperback

My advice to writers (and I go over this and more in my recent nonfiction memoir/reference/guide Frugal Poets’ Guide to Life: How to Live a Poetic Life, Even If You Aren’t a Poet) includes what a more established writer told me when I was first started out—and that is—Don’t Give Up. The world is full of quitters, she said.  If you keep writing and don’t quit, you will be successful, she added. She was right. I never quit (though I have stalled out occasionally over the years) and I now consider myself a success as a writer. I may not be rich or on the bestseller list, but I am proud of my writing and know that others enjoy my work, too.

Check out Cynthia’s work in Volume 4, Issue 1

Greg Rappleye

by Suzanna Anderson Creates

Greg Rappleye’s poetry has appeared in a variety of literary journals and magazines, including Poetry, The Southern Review, Shenandoah, and elsewhere. His second book of poems, A Path Between Houses (University of Wisconsin Press, 2000) won the Brittingham Prize. His third book, Figured Dark (University of Arkansas Press, 2007), was first runner-up for the Dorset Prize and was published in the Miller Williams Poetry Series.

Cotton House Fire, Volume 4, Issue 1

Ruben Rodriguez

by Suzanna Anderson Creates

Ruben Rodriguez is a master of all things thrift. He holds an MFA in fiction from California State University San Bernardino where he was the fiction editor of Ghost Town. He is the author of a chapbook of experimental prose, We Do What We Want (Orange Monkey Publishing, 2015). Today, he is the poetry editor of Blue Mesa Review. His poetry has been featured in Passages North, The Brooklyn Review, Superstition Review, Forklift Ohio, Potomac Review, and elsewhere. He currently resides in Albuquerque, where he teaches and studies at the University of New Mexico.

When Broken, Volume 4, Issue 1
Interview