interview

Sandy Coomer–Interview

by Suzanna Anderson Creates

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

A few years ago, we expanded our kitchen to include a sitting area. We added lots of windows to two walls and the ceiling was elevated. I loved the light in that area, and the large free space above me. I decided to use one half of that sitting area for my “art studio.” I don’t use an easel, but work on a large bar-high art table instead. I put that table in the corner, added some storage cabinets, and voila, the perfect place to create! (And I’m very near the fridge and coffee maker – an added bonus!)

What kind of materials do you use? What mediums do you work in?

Recently I’ve started to work on cradled Gesso board and Clay board more than canvas. I love the harder surface, and the way I can better manipulate the paint. Plus, I’m finishing a lot of my work with epoxy resin, and I need the sturdier surface for that. I use acrylic paints, Golden heavy body. I also create mixed media art, using paint, pastels, ink, paper, and various embellishments to create an inspirational scene and message. I love hiding words in my art—leaving little secrets that require careful examination to find. Words like believe, blessing, dream, seek, love, dare, brave, and happiness. Also, I love birds. It’s not unusual for me to add a bird somewhere in the art.

What is your routine for art? Do you always sketch first?

I’m probably the most anti-routine person ever! I follow the muse, and most of the time I work backwards. I know in my head what I want to do and then I figure out how to make that happen. This means I have a lot of mess ups, but every mess up is a great chance to learn something. I’ve been working in the morning lately, immediately after waking, which is a switch for me. I used to work only in the afternoons. In many ways, I’m always thinking about art, and because I also write poetry, I’m always thinking about words. Any interesting color combination, design, texture, landscape, phrase, conversation, etc. is likely to become one of my many post-it-noted inspirational ideas for future use.

How long have you been making art? When did you start making art?

Selling art—about 3 years ago. Making art—forever. I used to draw as a child. When I had kids of my own, I was heavily into creating intricate pages for their scrapbooks. Then I started drawing birds with ink and using watercolor to paint them. Mixed media was my next addiction, and the basis for my first exhibit and art show. I love creating original covers for hard-back journals, and I sell a lot of those in art and craft shows. Lately, I’ve started exploring acrylic pour paintings and abstract landscape paintings. Obviously I find it hard to stick to one thing.

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

A lot of my mixed media art is geared toward children. The journals are for anyone who writes, draws, or keeps a diary. I make art for anyone who enjoys the creative nature of color and design.

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

Nature inspires me. Language inspires me. Life inspires me. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with all the many things I want to create that it makes me anxious to think I won’t have time to do them all. I am a detail-oriented person, and I notice everything, and so many things lead to new ideas. I rarely feel blocked, but if I do, I like to go to Pinterest on my computer and search for interesting color combinations or a new technique for some random thing. Usually 10 minutes is enough to get me going again.

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

I write poetry. I’m the author of 3 poetry chapbooks and the founding editor of an online poetry journal called Rockvale Review. I’m a poetry mentor with the AWP Writer to Writer Mentorship Program. I’m also an endurance athlete and an Ironman. I just competed in the World Championship race for the 70.3 Half Ironman distance in Chattanooga, TN after qualifying for the race last year. My new goal is to complete a 50 mile trail race, hopefully in 2018.

What is your favorite part of the creative process?

Probably the idea phase. I love to think up a dozen things I want to create, jot down some notes and color ideas, and plan how I’m going to do them. Even right now, I’m looking at four rough sketches of landscapes complete with color notes that I want to create in the next couple of months. I also really like holding a finished piece of art in my hands, one I’m really proud of. That makes me indescribably happy!

What is your advice to aspiring artists?

Don’t follow the rules. I’ve never done anything the conventional way, and I like it that way. But I realize I might be a stubborn person for thinking like that, so let me say this instead: Don’t follow all the rules. Be free enough to take chances, to dare to color out of the lines. Believe in yourself enough to create the way you are made to create—from your own heart and the unique way you see and experience things. And put your art out in the world. You may be amazed at how many people respond positively to your creativity, and how your gifts might inspire, move, even heal someone else.

 

Check out Sandy’s work in Volume 4, Issue 1.

Ruben Rodriguez–Interview

by Suzanna Anderson Creates

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

Like any aspiring writer, I used to write a lot in bars. There is plenty of material in places that allows people’s guard down. Now, most of my writing takes place in my home. I like to stand while writing. Place my journal or computer on an elevated surface: a tote full of thrift finds, the turntable, kitchen counter. When I’m pressing ink to paper, I’m working. It’s a solo job done by steady hands. Silence is wonderful, music distracting. When I write, I’m there to scoop up enchiladas. I don’t like to fake it.

What is your routine for writing?

I wish I had a routine. Even now, I’m punching out the answers to these questions, an hour after they were expected. Writing is like offering flesh. It’s bloody and stings, but it kind of looks nice up there on the altar.

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

This evening, I was sitting with some friends over pints and slices, describing a collage of defeats, said, I spent a decade learning to write without having anything to say. In this last year and a half I’ve been offered no time to write, yet have read more now than the cumulative prior. I’m starting to get the hang of the writing. At worst, I got my hands on the pedals and my feet gripping the steering wheel.

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

Laughter is a defense mechanism. If I am not laughing in composition, than I am torturing myself. No one has ever called me jolly, but I think it’s because they like me.

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

Blocked is an excuse. Sometimes you can’t write what you want to write. That does not mean that you cannot write. I write, now, because one day the sun will rise, and my lungs will be empty. That sucks. The writing sucks too, but at least I can be a part of it.

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

I teach. I sell vintage clothing. I hike through the wonders of New Mexico every Sunday. I like the idea that is analog. I find its process tedious. My sister allows me to store art in her attic. I think she regrets that decision.

What is your favorite part of the creative process?

After the ever-many months between conception and publication, I read the work and say to myself, I can do better. I know I can do better. I strive to write that thing ever-after I will high-five.

What is your advice to aspiring writers?

If you want to write, attach consequence to your writing. Be-Have. Art is a process of realized action. Thinking is never enough. Sit your ass down and do it. Be what you want to be. Have the life you want to live.

 

Check out Ruben‘s work in Volume 4, Issue 1.

Kelsey Zimmerman

by Suzanna Anderson Creates

Kelsey Zimmerman lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She attended the University of Michigan and holds a B.A. in English. In her spare time, she enjoys writing poetry, taking photos of nature, and knitting.

Shots, Christmas Clementine, and Growing Pains, Volume 4, Issue 2
Interview

William L. Spencer

by Suzanna Anderson Creates

William L. Spencer has published fiction and non-fiction in the San Diego Reader and West Coast Review (Simon Fraser University). His short story “In the System” was published online by Uprising Review in 2017 (pen name Carlos Dunning). Short story “What I Done” is in the Spring 2018 issue of Furtive Dalliance Literary Review available on Amazon, and a piece of experimental fiction “The Bastard Died On Me” is online at SoftCartel.com. Two stories were published in The Magnolia Review Volume 4, Issue 2. Spencer can be found on Scribophile.com as “Carlos Dunning” and an author interview is at:

https://verysherryterry.wordpress.com/2018/04/02/author-interview-william-l-spencer/

Schoolboy and That Which More Often Than Not is Left Unsaid, Volume 4, Issue 2
Interview
Crossing Copper River, Volume 5, Issue 1

Diane Hoffman

by Suzanna Anderson Creates

Diane Hoffman graduated from Bowling Green State University with a Bachelor in Arts in May 2018. She majored in Film Production and minored in Creative Writing. Her most notable project during her time in college was the short film she wrote and directed, No One’s Little Girl, which ended up receiving Best in Show at the 2018 BGSU Film & Media Festival. Her interests include writing fiction, editing, painting, and directing. She plans to move to Manhattan to continue pursuing opportunities in film and writing.

Punk 4 a Day, Volume 4, Issue 2
Interview

Charles W. Brice

by Suzanna Anderson Creates

Pushcart Prize nominated poet, Charles W. Brice, Ph.D., is a retired psychoanalyst and is the author of Flashcuts Out of Chaos (WordTech Editions, 2016) and of Mnemosyne’s Hand (WordTech Editions, 2018). His poetry, short stories, reviews, and nonfiction pieces have appeared in over seventy publications including Literal Latte, The American Journal of Psychoanalysis, Psychiatry, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Atlanta Review, Hawaii Review, The Main Street Rag, Chiron Review, Fifth Wednesday Journal, The Paterson Literary Review, Plainsongs and elsewhere. His poem, “Identification,” was anthologized along with poems by W.H. Auden, Hilda Doolittle, Philip Larkin, Stephen Dobyns, Louise Gluck, Anne Sexton, and others in, Climate of Opinion: Sigmund Freud in Poetry, Irene Willis (Ed.), (International Psychoanalytic Books, 2017).

Sis, Volume 4, Issue 2
Review, Mnemosyne’s Hand: Poems, Volume 4, Issue 2
Interview

Mela Blust

by Suzanna Anderson Creates

Mela Blust is a writer residing in rural Pennsylvania. She is an active member of many online publications, including medium.com. Her work has appeared in Little Rose Magazine, and is forthcoming in Califragile, as well as Abstract Magazine.

as heavy as water, how to: make a mistake, and trespass, Volume 4, Issue 2
Interview

Robert Ford–Interview

by Suzanna Anderson Creates

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

Although it sounds fun to have an office, shack or cave set up deliberately to facilitate writing, I don’t have one. So I write wherever I am, whenever I can. Which can be inconvenient.

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

Everything starts out on paper, in a notebook. Not too fussy about pens. Anything will do—pencils too. I’m better at having a notebook always to hand than I used to be, and rarely have to rely on old envelopes or margins of newspapers any more. A few redrafts and manglings usually take place in the pages of the notebook before it’s in a reasonable enough shape to be either written up on the computer or trashed. There’s always plenty of redrafting to be done from then on.

What is your routine for writing?

I don’t really have one. It just happens. Or doesn’t. Which is one of my greatest creative faults. Discipline, whilst not very cool, is indispensable. It helps to stir the soup regularly.

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

I’ve been trying to write creatively—poetry especially—ever since I can remember.

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

It may sound harsh, but I write for me. I’m happy to share, to put things out there, to see what people think. And to get feedback, which I usually try and take on board. But there’s no specific readership in mind.

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

What inspires me the most is that human life never ceases to be both inherently fascinating and ridiculous. We can be so beautiful, so cruel, so stupid. I suppose I feel the need to somehow reflect what I observe, and poetry has always seemed the most natural, obvious way. Photography too sometimes—although I’d also love to paint.

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

Mostly I walk, preferably by the ocean or in the mountains. It helps with the creative process, with the unblocking, but then so does taking the train through a city.

What is your favorite part of the creative process?

That if it works properly—if you let it and don’t overthink things—then it just happens. Whether you want it to or not.

What is your advice to aspiring writers?

Just enjoy yourself. Be yourself. Don’t worry about being good.

Check out Robert’s work in Volume 4, Issue 1.

Paul Lamb–Interview

by Suzanna Anderson Creates

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

The space I dedicate to writing is a spare bedroom in my house that has had the bed replaced with a desk and a comfortable chair. I do, however, keep pencil and paper at hand when I’m out for recording snippets that I might use later.

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

I do all of my fiction writing on my Mac. I find that I can work much more quickly this way to get first drafts down, especially when the ideas are flowing. Editing is easier this was as well. Nonetheless, I’ve kept a handwritten journal for more than three decades, and I have a favorite mechanical pencil that I reserve for this work.

What is your routine for writing?

I rise at an unholy hour on the weekends when the house is quiet so that I can enter the creative part of my mind undisturbed and let the work flow. I also always have a tall pitcher of iced tea— unsweetened, of course—beside me and I will usually finish it as I’m working. Generally, I can expect to get about three hours of work done before either the household wakes or my creativity is exhausted. I rarely try to do any creative writing during the week, though I often make copious notes then about whatever project I’m working on at the time.

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

I knew from an early age that I wanted to write, and I’ve been dedicated to it for my whole adult life. There were many years of apprentice work, and more than a decade passed between my first published short story and my second. But I seem to have found my voice through all of that effort and can reliably spin a tale that has a fair chance of being acceptable to an editor and finding its way into print.

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

I try to write what would be termed literary fiction, so discerning adults willing to put some thought, patience, and effort into appreciating a piece of fiction would be my likely audience. I don’t know these people, though. I let myself be my audience; I write the kinds of things I want to read.

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

I had several good mentors early in my writing life; that steered me onto the right course. And I’ve always loved to read, so the words seem to come easily to me. Of course, they still need polishing. I don’t tend to be blocked, or if I am, I don’t see it that way. I’m always thinking about stories and characters and how to develop them. In recent years my greatest inspiration is having found my great subject: the relationships between fathers and sons. I’ve written several dozen stories about this. I haven’t exhausted the subject yet.

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

For many years I could only squeeze my writing in between raising a family, earning a wage, and going to night school. But now that the children are gone and the debts are paid, I find myself bouncing grandchildren on my knee. I’ve also done a lot of running, a sport I only took up recently. No one was more amazed than I when I found myself crossing finish lines, including four marathons. Running has made several appearances in my stories. Other than that, you can generally find me in bookstores, libraries, or art museums.

What is your favorite part of the creative process?

When it all comes together, when the words are flowing into the ideas that get it all exactly right. Those moments are infrequent; generally I have to struggle over every word and sentence, but sometimes I fall into that perfect place.

What is your advice to aspiring writers?

Read widely and write ceaselessly. Don’t worry too much about things like grammar and punctuation. Find writers you like and read their stuff. Keep at it until you find your own voice, and never apologize. Only you can tell your stories.

Check out Paul’s work in Volume 4, Issue 1.