Meet Angie Trudell Vasquez: A Latinx Writer Honoring her Literary Ancestors through Generational Joy

Aja St. Germaine

Angela (Angie) Trudell Vasquez is a life-long writer, speaker, and advocate. She is the current City of Madison Poet Laureate and received an MFA in poetry from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her poems have been featured in many publications, including the Yellow Medicine Review, the Raven Chronicles, My People Redux, and the Poetry Foundation. She is the first Latina Poet Laureate of Madison, Wisconsin.

This summer, Angie will serve as a writer-in-residence at The Priory Writers’ Retreat.  Sign-ups begin January 1.  Click here to learn more about how to attend, and how to schedule your one-on-one conference with Angie. 

As someone who is a believer in self-advocacy as a form of social justice, I wanted to hear from a true activist, writer, and social justice advocate about the ways she both cares for and honors herself. This weekend I had the honor of interviewing Vasquez, who made time to chat with me between attending and accepting at award ceremonies. Being Madison’s first Latinx Poet Laureate leaves little room for rest. Vasquez is a woman who believes that if there is generational trauma, there must be generational joy, and she dominates her field both in writing pedagogy and activism.

Aja St. Germaine: As a Latinx writer, the space you take up in a lot of writing spaces is inciting a much-needed change in the racial and cultural dynamic in writing pedagogy, particularly in Wisconsin. How do you see your advocacy translate through your writing?

“I think it is important to be authentic to yourself and your work and not to live up to any one’s expectation but yourself. ”

— Angie Trudell Vasquez

Angie Trudell Vasquez: I am the same person all the time. What I care about, my concerns, what and who I love comes out in my work. I think it is important to be authentic to yourself and your work and not to live up to any one’s expectation but yourself. I look back at my early work, what I wrote, what I saw, what I witnessed in the world around me locally, globally, and personally; and these themes still resonate with the person I am now, not how I wrote them, my craft has evolved and so have I, but what I care about is reflected in my poems. A mentor once said we do not write in a vacuum, and I agree. I have many influences as a poet at this point in my life. I write about everything and do not limit myself to one topic or form or style. I feel free when I write and when I edit. I am a very political person. We discussed it as a family and debated and talked about history, family history, and current events. I think I was a feminist from birth and have never felt less than anyone else regarding gender or ethnicity or class or physical stature. This can be seen in the progression of certain identity poems I wrote through my 20s, 30s, 40s and now 50s. Growing up where I did, I defined myself on the page and decided early to master the English language. I have anti-war poems, peace poems, poems for immigrants and migrants and those displaced, nature poems, environmental poems, poems for celebrations and poems for death and remembrance, poems for all the people I love and absolute strangers I see in airports and train stations and busses and fairs, I have poems of place and poems for children, poems for laborers, animals, trees, flowers, tortillas, fruit and vegetables, I even have poems for bankers… (my first real job).

“My advocacy is to be myself and to be original in my own work and continue to have discovery on the page. I want to be surprised when I write, and my pen is usually ahead of my conscious self. A poet friend said she is writing the best poems of her life in her 70s that is an exciting thought to me. ”

— Angie Trudell Vasquez

My advocacy is to be myself and to be original in my own work and continue to have discovery on the page. I want to be surprised when I write, and my pen is usually ahead of my conscious self. A poet friend said she is writing the best poems of her life in her 70s that is an exciting thought to me.

I am an activist all the time and this shows up in my poems, essays, and the projects I take on as an editor and a publisher. I have my own press Art Night Books which has a social justice function. My early poems were published by Real Change in Seattle, Washington, and an immigrants’ rights organization there called Casa Latina where I volunteered teaching English. I have a new poem coming out and it is about one of my first memories picketing for workers’ rights with my sister. My family arrived in the late 1800s in the Midwest. I am 2nd and 3rd generation. I write about what I care about, what moves me, and if it moves someone else all the better. I write to connect. Poetry can do so much work. You can time travel in poems. All art can have a higher function. Poetry is one of the tools of humanity, and I do not think it should be limited to one definition or role much like humans.

AS: How do you practice self-preservation as a woman of color writer in a predominately white state and writing culture?

ATV: I go where I want primarily, I have every right to be at a literary conference or poetry reading. Do not ask permission just do your art and work on your craft and take it out to read at open mics, submit to journals where your work would be welcome, do your research before you show up and amaze people with your poems or essays or short stories or creative non-fiction. Write the stories you don’t see. Find your literary community and share resources. I have lists I give out when I do poetry workshops for young writers. I was the young woman in my 20s readings poems in my university on domestic violence and women’s reproductive rights no matter the audience. These were my concerns at the time and people were receptive. I grew up in Iowa and it was 99% white, and very much understand living in rural and urban communities in the Midwest. I feel like I have had two feet planted in both communities my entire life. I did choose to get my MFA at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA.edu) because I read about other writers of color and their experience in MFA programs and chose to go to IAIA.edu because I just wanted to focus on my work, work with world class writers and it was the BEST experience for me. I so loved going back in my late 40s and being fully dedicated to my art while there. It felt like home.

There are so many writers doing good work right now, people I know and went to school with, writers all throughout Wisconsin and the U.S. who are having great success. It is out time to tell our stories. I feel supported by my writing community. I have helped shaped this community too. I serve as the Chair for the Wisconsin Poet Laureate Commission. I was a board member for Woodland Pattern Book Center while I lived in Milwaukee. I am active in the Madison community teaching other’s poems and my own, spreading the love of poetry and judging poetry contests.

The poetry world is rich and historic. Poets of all ethnicities and races have written poems and we have always existed on Turtle Island or North America. My specialty is Indigenous Poetics. I taught a workshop in 2021 solely on Native poets in Wisconsin. I could do the same with Latinx writers in Wisconsin. We have all these literary ancestors, and they paved the way for us and we have their writings to learn about their experience.

Self-care is nature for me, and I dance and walk and do yoga. If we have generational trauma, we also have generational joy, and I am more interested in the joy part now. I choose to spend my precious life on writing what I want to write about and am having a good time publishing poems and collections and have several projects going on right now. I do mentor some people now and then. I want to share what I have learned with other writers. This is how I can pay back. I have not arrived here at this level on my own. Many people have helped me along the way.  Through publishing I am able to contribute by making space for others’ voices and promoting their work.

AS: What advice do you have for young BIPOC writers that are just starting out?

ATV: I have so much advice for poets but will limit generally to writers:

1.     Read, read widely whatever you want it all feeds your writing. Good art inspires more art. Go to museums and art galleries for inspiration and history. Listen to music, live and recorded.

2.     Go to open mics to test out your work and listen to others, poems and stories sound differently when you read them to people aloud, very different than in your home when you are alone. I edit all my work aloud.

3.     Edit your work on the page, read it aloud, number your drafts, put it away and come back to it later. Tape it to your wall with painter’s tape like I do when I am editing a piece and am not sure about something. I put my books on my walls when I am in the editing process, and it helps me greatly.

4.     Be an active literary citizen. Go to events, see writers in person or virtually, check out the listings in your area. Talk to other writers. Support each other’s successes and only compete with yourself.

5.     Submit when you feel you are ready and do your research make sure it is a good fit.

6.     Keep your work organized and know where and when you submitted.

7.     Keep writing. I also journal in addition to writing poetry. I have done automatic writing since I was a child. Whatever works for you do but I like writing poetry or anything creative first in long hand. The body connection is important to me. I do practice “first thought, best thought” often and harvest my free writes for poems.

On January 1, apply to The Priory Writers Retreat where you can work with Angie!

A Teacher in all Trades: An Interview with Eau Claire Writer-in-Residence Ken Szymanski

Aja St. Germaine

Ken Szymanski is the official Writer-in-Residence for Eau Claire, Wisconsin—a distinction for which he was recently honored by the Arts Wisconsin and the League of Wisconsin Municipalities.  In late October, he traveled to Green Bay to receive The Wisconsin Creative Champions Award alongside poet laureates and writers-in-residence statewide.

Yet in addition to bringing home such prestigious awards, he’s also the author of Home Field Advantage. He has rooted himself deeply within the culture of Eau Claire and has contributed to the writing culture since the 1980s; beginning as a high school newspaper editor, continuing as a freelance music journalist for the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram, and more recently, collaborating with Volume One and Converge Radio while focusing on the genre of podcasts and spoken word.

Above all else, though, Ken Szymanski is an educator. As an English teacher at Delong Middle School, he sees writing in some of its most vulnerable and fresh stages and knows how to push it to greatness. As a past student of his, I owe much of my own literary success to the fire he lights within young writers. I recently reunited with Ken to glean some insights on both his teaching and writing process, as well as to hear more about his aspirations in his newest role as Eau Claire’s Writer-in-Residence.

Aja St. Germaine: How does your experience as a writer shape your teaching style, and vice versa? 

Ken Szymanski: When teaching 8th grade English, I try to lead by example as a reader and a writer. I show the kids my struggles through several drafts. It’d be tempting to only show them my final drafts, but that would be misleading. Writing is a process, and “struggle” is part of the process. I try to normalize that to the students so that when writing doesn’t come easily, they don’t think something is wrong with them. This is a good reminder for me, too. When I’m working on a story and I’m having difficulties, I think of it as a sign that I’m doing it right.   

AS: You mention on your website that you have been delving into combining spoken word and live music within podcasts—but you started in the 1980's with a very different genre. How has the constant culture shift in Eau Claire impacted your work and genre?

KS: In some ways, it comes down to opportunities. My first book was a choose-your-own-adventure written in junior high. At the time, all I really had was an imagination and a notebook. When I had the opportunity to write concert reviews for the Leader-Telegram, that became my focus. When the Running Water Poetry Slam started, I turned my attention to cranking out three-minute spoken word pieces. Volume One gave me the chance to focus on profiles, essays, and articles on a wide variety of topics. Converge Radio gave me the opportunity to write podcasts, and the Galaudet Gallery shared their space for us to offer performances that combined spoken word with live music. Basically, I take the opportunities Eau Claire gives me. Some of these came down to luck and others were luck created by hard work. 

AS: What are you hoping to see Eau Claire grow into while you are the 2020-2022 Writer in Residence? What impacts are you hoping to make?

“I hope to give my fellow writers a chance to be heard during this difficult time—and to create an audio time capsule of area writers from this time in Eau Claire.”

— Ken Szymanski

KS: The start of my tenure coincided with the Covid shutdown, which has made it tough to do indoor live events. So I started a video series called Snapshots, where each episode features a different local writer. The video features audio of the author combined with local photography and local music. I hope to give my fellow writers a chance to be heard during this difficult time—and to create an audio time capsule of area writers from this time in Eau Claire. While I’ve missed the live events, the advantage of the Snapshots episodes is that they reach far beyond Eau Claire. The Chippewa Valley Writers Guild did such an outstanding job of fostering a sense of community among writers, and this is my way of fostering that community in a time where we can’t meet up in ways that we used to. The funny thing is that we ended up reaching a larger audience through the videos than we often did for the live events. So it’s been a nice accidental discovery of a tool we can use moving forward. I also love how it’s brought photographers and musicians into the literary mix. It’s really been a lot of fun working with them and bringing different types of artists together with a common goal.

Finding My Writing Home At The Priory Writers Retreat

Dr. Jonathan Rylander

As a writing center person (my day job), I think a lot about conversation—about getting down and dirty and talking out ideas one-to-one. That’s true. But in that role, I think, too, about environment. Creating a comfortable space for students to write matters. The right lamp. The right pillow aligned just so on a sofa. But it’s more than a job. For me, where I write right has always been a personal matter. In fact, I fought hard to make it back “up north” after graduate school, and that’s because there is just something about the feel of lighter air. Of bitter-cold water in lakes and rivers up here.

If you’re anything like me, picture, now, The Priory—a mid-century modern gem of building in the woods just outside Eau Claire, one surrounded by hills and a deep forest. And writers!

“At The Priory, I was struck by a sense of genuineness. This is a retreat that brings together folks near and far, from Milwaukee to the Twin Cities to Chicago. Folks who are writers like you and me. Those just trying to get a story, a feeling, an idea out there. In the lounges and in the courtyards outside, I talked with other participants. And when I did, I felt welcomed. I felt at ease.”

— Jonathan Rylander

I went to this retreat for the first time in in the summer of 2019, and here’s what makes this experience unique: its unpretentious, personal touch. At The Priory, I was struck by a sense of genuineness. This is a retreat that brings together folks near and far, from Milwaukee to the Twin Cities to Chicago. Folks who are writers like you and me. Those just trying to get a story, a feeling, an idea out there. In the lounges and in the courtyards outside, I talked with other participants. And when I did, I felt welcomed. I felt at ease.

Writers-in-residence Laura Jean Baker and David McGlynn

During that first summer, I worked with then writer-in-residence David McGlynn, a memoirist at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. He’s written a fantastic memoir called A Door in the Ocean, a book that grapples with a traumatic moment of childhood loss. The book’s deeper themes center around questions of control and vulnerability. And swimming. McGlynn was—still is—a competitive swimmer. To be honest, I wanted to learn more not just about his writing, but also his career as a swimmer and how that influenced his craft. But you know that feeling, the one you get when you read a writer and their work just resonates with you? The one you get when you want to do something a little like they’ve done, but you want to be sure you come off the right way? These were the thoughts that cluttered by mind when I came to the Priory. And I’ll admit, in the weeks before I arrived, I experienced some degree of imposter syndrome, even as an English professor. Until that retreat, my writing had taken the feel and scope of traditional academic articles. I wanted to do something different here.

“I wanted to remember the joy of writing like I did in second grade”

— Jonathan Rylander

Writer-in-residence Dasha Kelly Hamilton

I wanted to remember the joy of writing like I did in second grade. On a more serious note, I wanted to write about my past—about my pain and even my wrongdoings. I wanted to write memoir. But how to begin? Would they take me here? Was I doing it all right? The classic feeling of imposter syndrome. Until I sat down with a cup of coffee and McGlynn walked over to introduce himself that first day. I know it sounds silly—corny even—but here was the person I somehow needed to tell me I was on the right path with my interest in writing memoir. Isn’t it odd how so much about writing is related to permission? I wanted to start off on the right foot. Say the right thing. Here’s what came out….

“Do you still swim?” I said.

“All the time,” David said.

That was, really, all that was needed. We connected. Of course, I’d go on to learn a lot from him and fellow writers. But I’d learn, too, just by writing. And thinking. And having the time to do it all out here. The time to step outside in between writing sessions and walk next to a pine-wooded forest. The time to feel the warmth of a summer night. The time to know I was with other writers that cared, like me.

InSPIRITation: A List of Eau Claire’s Most Inspiring Places for Halloween

Aidan Sanfelippo

As the days get colder and the nights get longer, creative minds cannot help but wonder what lies just beyond the darkness. Since Halloween week is upon us, I thought I would share some Halloween appropriate places in Eau Claire that inspired me in my writing.

“One thing to keep in mind if you are planning on going to these places and others is to remain safe and respectful. Take only ideas, leave only footprints”

One thing to keep in mind if you are planning on going to these places and others is to remain safe and respectful. Take only ideas, leave only footprints. If you are planning on going to places like graveyards, be respectful of the people that lived and don’t bother anyone there. Make sure to also keep yourself safe, go in a group or with a friend. Keeping those ideas in mind, I got a group of friends together and we decided to find five inspiring places for scary stories.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries are great places for quiet contemplation when thinking about a book. As you walk, ask yourself about the lives the people led and who they might have been like. I found myself staring at gravestones trying to comprehend the names and dates that were once people. You can imagine them watching you, either in plain sight or from hiding as a member of the living enters their embassy of the dead. I purposefully didn’t include the name of the cemetery I visited because I do not want to draw you to one specific cemetery. Go to one that is open to walk around but BE RESPECTFUL. This is a place to be inspired about contemplation or where a character might feel like they are being watched.

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The Old Orchard Cemetery

(Picture of the Plaque in The Old Orchard Cemetery)

The Old Orchard Cemetery was one cemetery that we visited that was especially thought-provoking. This cemetery, according to its plaque, "Is the final resting place for residents of the former Eau Claire County Asylum County Home and County Poor Farm" and because of that, most of the gravestones are missing names and dates of either birth, death, or both. An especially moving sight was a gravestone without any of those, just the word “unknown” left to represent a person’s entire life. It is also the only place in this list that is supposed to be haunted according to Visit Eau Claire’s “5 Paranormal Properties for Ghost Hunters”. In the article it is called Asylum Hill. A white slab tells the full story of what happened and how they are honoring the people that died at this place. The cemetery is only about the size of a yard, but its history towers over all the other places on this list. This is a great place to find inspiration in a historical place or possible supernatural encounters.  

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Putnam Trail

(Picture of the culvert on The Putnam Trail)

Trails in the woods can feel isolated even with a group of friends. Cut off from society, the feeling of someone or someTHING watching your every move. Then you turn a corner, and you find a large tunnel in the earth. Even with cars driving above it, the tunnel feels immense and terrifying. As you walk through your voice will echo and you might even hear footsteps walking behind you. You know even if you turn around no one will be there. This culvert on the Putnam Trail is the place to be inspired about an ominous encounter or a story of someone walking alone only to realize they are being followed.

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The River Lights Bridge at Phoenix Park

(Picture of The River Lights Bridge at Phoenix Park)

Bridges have always been ways of describing entrances into different worlds. The changing lights in this bridge and the water rushing underneath make it feel like you are no longer in the world you know. The boards creak and as you look down you see nothing but the rushing dark water waiting. In the darkness, the bridge is the only thing you can see other than the city just out of reach. This is the place where you can represent a character crossing over to a stranger world or to get inspiration from thinking about the unknown.

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Your Own Home

(Picture of my own home)

After a long day of safely and respectfully finding ideas in Eau Claire’s inspiring places, take some time to write at home. Sit down, relax, watch a scary movie, and be in the safest place for you. Take some inspiration from turning safe spaces into scary ones, the terrifying feeling of an intruder or an unstoppable danger. So, take out your paper, write a bit, and don’t even think about what might be lurking outside of your window.

Happy Halloween, Writers!

The Guild Gives Hope, and Hopes You'll Give

In March of 2020, when words like “masks” and “social distancing” became a part of the daily parlance, the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild made a choice: for as long as we could, we wouldn’t charge anyone for anything until we were all back on our feet. 

Over the past 19 months, we’ve stayed true to that promise. 

Like so many organizations, we pivoted to the virtual format, hosting craft talks with Kimberly Blaeser, Nickolas Butler, Tessa Fontaine, Christina Clancy, David Shih, José Alvergue, Peter Geye, Barrett Swanson, Amanda Skenandore, Larry Watson, Margi Preus, Angie Trudell-Vasquez, Matthew Gavin Frank, Carson Vaughan, Phong Nguyen, Pat Zietlow Miller, among others.  On October 14 at 7PM, we’re hosting our next virtual event: Kathryn Nuernberger’s “Spellcraft and Other Thoughts on The Magic Of Writing”.  Taken together, these events have benefited thousands of writers the world over.  And we’d never have made the pivot to the virtual platform so successfully were it not for the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library, our greatest partner throughout the pandemic.

Additionally, we also partnered with the fantastic Pablo Center at the Confluence, who helped us move our popular Sound & Stories series to the virtual stage.  Together, we hosted “Joy to the Word, “All Creatures Great and Small,”  and “Something Old, Something New” for hundreds of viewers.  (And if you missed them, just click the links above!). How wonderful to work with dozens of storytellers, in addition to musicians The Nunnery, Humbird, Peter Phippen, Victoria Shoemaker, Simone Patrie, and more. 

Looking forward, we’ve got a mix of virtual and in-person events to share with you: from Barstow & Grand’s issue 5 release on November 17 at Lazy Monk Brewery, to our annual “Joy to the Word” event on December 16 at Pablo. 

But beyond all these events, the Guild has also served another vital purpose throughout the covid era.  Namely, by serving as the official home for the “Hope Is The Thing” project, which started right here in the Chippewa Valley on March 21, 2020. Over the course of several months, local writers began sending us their “hope” in 500 words or fewer.  We gathered them up, published them daily, and tried to share a little light among the darkness.  The state took notice, and just weeks ago, the Wisconsin Historical Society Press published Hope Is The Thing: Wisconsinites on Perseverance in a Pandemic, featuring 100 writers from across the state.  This Thursday at 7PM, contributors Dan Lyksett, Lopa Basu, Allyson Loomis, Matt Larson, Rebecca Mennecke, Eric Rasmussen, Luong Hunyh, and Katherine Schneider will be sharing their work at The Local Store’s Volume One Gallery.        

Finally, The Priory Writers’ Retreat is back!  On January 1, 2022, we will open applications for our June 23-26 retreat in beautiful Eau Claire.  This is one of our prized programs, and we’re thrilled to return better than ever! This year, participants will have the opportunity to work closely with four writers-in-residence—Nickolas Butler, (fiction) Nicole Kronzer (young adult), Angela Trudell-Vasquez (poetry) and Barrett Swanson (nonfiction)—while also making time for free writing and craft talks and networking and more.  How grateful we are to our newest sponsor, the Wisconsin Writers Association.

Of course, none of this is possible without you.  Yes, you.  As a Guild, we count on everyone to do their part to ensure our mutual success.  To that end, we’re urging you to please consider becoming a $5/month sustaining member, which provides you (and others!) free access to most of our events.  Or, if you prefer to make a one-time tax-deductible gift, you can do that here.     

We’ve done our best over the past 19 months, but now we’re calling upon you to help.  Please ensure our success over the next year.  Please take a moment to make your tax-deductible gift today.

Be inspired, inspire others,

B.J. Hollars

“Entering the Portal”: An Interview with Speculative Fiction Writer Charles Payseur

Aidan Sanfelippo

Imagine space cats running a ghost ship, the tragedy of a star losing their partner, or a man facing both the freezing future earth and losing his fathers.

Such compelling premises are all from the mind of Eau Claire resident and four-time Hugo Awards finalist Charles Payseur. In July of 2021, Charles published a new book of speculative fiction stories titled The Burning Day and Other Strange Stories. I was lucky enough to chat with Charles about his love of speculative fiction, the importance of diversity in stories, and his advice for writers interested in this genre.

Aidan Sanfelippo: A Publishers' Weekly review recognized your new book as "a sure thing for fans of progressive science fiction and fantasy." Can you share a bit about what progressive science fiction and fantasy means to you? 

Charles Payseur: “Progressive” is such a strange word. In some ways it’s incredibly descriptive and accurate when used to categorize things because people will sort of just know what it means. However, that’s because it’s also a buzzword that describes “that kind of writing” which people who like to describe themselves as conservative feel embodies everything that’s wrong with the world. Fortunately, that means it’s a word that is in the process of being claimed/reclaimed into something positive rather than negative. Unfortunately, it also seems to cut off this kind of “progressive” science fiction and fantasy from its long and storied history. It gives an illusion that this kind of work, this kind of writing, is new. And it’s not. Science fiction and fantasy has always been home to progressive thought and structure, to diverse characters and creators, and to futures that did more than glorify the past.

So my own thoughts on progressive science fiction and fantasy are…complicated. But ultimately I feel that it’s the start to an important conversation. And I feel that if the word connects us to, rather than divides us from, the progressive work that has been done since the beginning of science fiction and fantasy from the marginalized and trailblazing authors engaged in the genres, then it’s incredibly valuable, and I’m honored to be included in that tradition.

AS: What is it about these genres that you enjoy most? 

CP: I’ve described speculative fiction (what science fiction and fantasy fall into) as a genre defined by its mandate to break rules. What makes a story speculative is what separates it from the “real” world in some profound way. And I feel there’s a great power there, especially for those who often found or find the “real” world around them suffocating. Who felt or feel powerless in the face of things they couldn’t or can’t fight back against or control. So one reason that I love speculative fiction is that it can offer an escape from that. There’s a reason why portals are so popular in fantasy stories, that allow characters to slip into another world. Or grant people superpowers that allow them to fight what otherwise feels impossible to engage with. That can be freeing, as a reader, to imagine and to experience vicariously through the stories.

But it’s more than that. More than just escape. As a writer, speculative fiction demonstrates that sometimes the rules that we break, that so profoundly differ from the “real” world that stories become science fiction or fantasy, are themselves constructs. The rules are just what people have accepted as necessary or true without fully exploring that, without questioning that. And speculative fiction can push people to see that the supposed truth, the “reality” around them, is as much fiction as martians or magic. That, for me, is the true power and beauty of speculative fiction.

AS: What advice do you have for writers in these genres?

CP: Probably to never get so lost on the speculative premise of your work that you forget that the heart of every story is in the characters, the setting, the action, the moving parts. A lot of times (and I know I did this a lot myself) the allure of the Big Idea can sort of lead people away from making sure they’re telling a story, first and most. And however inventive or interesting the premise is, that’s not enough to make effective or engaging fiction. After that, just be brave! Break rules! Imagine different worlds!

AS: In an interview on "Spectrum West with Al Ross", you have said that one of your first windows into speculative fiction was R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps. Which Goosebumps book has influenced you the most in your writing?

CP: Haha I mean I learned to love reading through Goosebumps. They were the first time that I really connected with books and they sparked an interest in the weird and speculative that lasts to this day. And I think they really do have some great lessons on craft tucked away in them, though obviously they’re geared toward children. Thinking back, it’s difficult to really pull them apart in my mind as individual books rather than a series, though. There are some I remember liking more, like One Day at Horrorland and Ghost Beach but I think when it comes to influence it’s more the collective weight of them that resonates. The way that Stine played with children not being believed by adults, being gaslit about very real dangers. Or the way that he hit on the friendships kids have, friendly but always with a bit of a competitive edge. And of course his fearlessness to let things get incredibly weird and not apologize for it. I’ve since gone back and reread pretty much the entire original series over the past few years and that’s still something that stands out to me, even during some of the more unfortunate moments in the series. It’s not afraid to swing for the fences when it comes to an off-the-wall idea, and I greatly admire that.

AS: What is your advice on learning or getting inspiration from books that writers enjoy?

CP: Don’t be embarrassed! I think that shame is something that’s hard to fight sometimes when faced with “being a writer” (whatever that really means). We learn through what gets taught to us what is essentially “acceptable” to like. And we learn from what those around us like, and what gets recommended to us, and what is popular and what gets movies or television shows based off of it. All of these act as pressures pushing writers to conform to a more limited idea of what good writing is and what it can be. Especially as people go through school and the social and educational pressures there, it’s easy to abandon things that you really enjoy out of shame or embarrassment. And that’s a loss, because for me embracing those niche joys can fuel my creativity in unique and wonderful ways. So don’t be embarrassed, but do also be prepared to look on what you like in a critical way, and seek to understand why you like it, and how you can explore and use that as a writer.

AS: You also mentioned in the interview that you review speculative compact stories on your blog Quick Sip Reviews. Do you think that reviewing other works of literature has helped you write your own stories?

CP: Sometimes? I think that in a lot of ways it’s a great way to learn about craft, and to think about structure, character, tone, voice, all of that. There’s a reason, after all, why creative writing classes all tend to have a reading component, and a criticism component. Reviewing is great for thinking about stories and can be a tool to help strengthen critical muscles for a writer to better engage with their own work. What reviewing helps the most with, though, is reviewing. Which shouldn’t be a huge surprise. Examining paintings in a show or museum can help a person appreciate and articulate things about paintings that they hadn’t been able to before. But that won’t necessarily help you paint better. It can get wheels turning that can lead to that, but the work of writing is always best honed through writing. And though I do think reviewing has pushed me to want to be a better writer and to maybe have an idea of what that looks like, it’s only through writing again and again and again that I think I’ve actually been able to get closer to that idea.

AS: It has been a busy year for you! Along with publishing The Burning Day and Other Strange Stories, you also edited a new book, We’re Here: The Best Queer Speculative Fiction 2020, alongside guest editor C.L. Clark according to Amazon. Can you describe the importance of diversity in books and short stories?

CP: I needed stories I was never exposed to until I was out of college. Needed them to see parts of myself that I was in denial about, that I didn’t have the language to even think about. And these stories were never given to me, and more than that they were often marginalized and hidden from me so that I didn’t even know they existed. Too many people are in that kind of boat. Aren’t aware that these stories are not new. That they have been told. And told again. And again. And each time they are pushed away and they are hidden and they are censored and they are burned. In the name of protecting people. From? Themselves? The truth of their hearts and identities?

 Diversity in writing opens up the world. It’s a portal through which people can step and find that things they thought were impossible are within their grasp. That ways they’ve felt so alone are connections to communities waiting to welcome them. But only if they find those portals. Only if those stories make it to their hands. So I am incredibly invested in trying to get those kinds of stories into as many hands as I can. To celebrate them and to highlight them and to be loud about them. Because there are people out there who need them, like I needed them. Like I need them still.

Charles Payseur’s book The Burning Day and Other Strange Stories is available on Amazon in either paperback or on Kindle. You can also support Charles on his Patreon and read his reviews on his blog Quick Sip Reviews.

“Your Story Can ALWAYS Get Better”: An Interview with Pat Zietlow Miller on Her Upcoming Virtual Craft Talk

Aja St. Germaine

Pat Zietlow Miller has been writing since the seventh grade and has sold a total of 23 books (12 currently published, 11 more to be published in the coming years). She understands the challenges that great writers in any genre face: writer's block, sensitivity to criticism, and imposter syndrome. She also knows that all writers can overcome these challenges and more.

I was thrilled to chat with Pat on her upcoming virtual craft talk, "Rising From The Wreckage: Revision Tips for Whatever You Write," which takes place September 21 at 7PM central time.  The talk will focus on her passion behind the art, the skill of critique and editing, and as she lovingly puts it, "ripping [your writing] apart for the greater good."

Aja St. Germaine: I'll start with an easy one! Your website mentions that reading influences your writing. What are you reading right now, and how is that influencing your own writing process?

Pat Zietlow Miller: I try to read a wide variety of books -- from board books to adult fiction and nonfiction. I learn so much from good writing whether it's in the genre I write or not. There's always something I can appreciate and apply.

Two recent picture books I've read are NEGATIVE CAT by Sophie Blackall and THE PURPLE PUFFY COAT by Maribeth Boelts and Daniel Duncan. While they are very different stories -- NEGATIVE CAT is about a boy who loves his cat so much he'll do anything to keep him, and THE PURPLE PUFFY COAT is about two friends who learn to listen to what makes each other happy -- they both have a lot of heart. You feel something after reading each story, and that's something most successful picture books have in common.

Plus, NEGATIVE CAT contains some lovely, inspiring turns of phrase, and THE PURPLE PUFFY COAT is funny, which is something I'm always trying to add to my work.

The cool thing about reading work by other writers, is that you see what's possible. You get to be inspired. You get to say: "Wow! That's wonderful! I wonder if I could write something half as good." And, often, you can.

AS: Your book BE KIND has been on the New York Times' picture book bestseller list! In what ways has that impacted your writing experience? Was there an impact that you were not anticipating? What emotions did you find yourself feeling?

PZM: Having BE KIND on the New York Times bestseller list for 10 weeks was a thrill and a dream come true. It brought me recognition, opportunities, and royalties I hadn't experienced before. It was a goal that I wrote down when I started writing books for kids, and seeing it actually happen was amazing.

 The unexpected part was the stress I felt after making the list. Whether or not a book becomes a NYT bestseller is totally out of an author's control. So, while I felt pressure to do it again, it wasn't something I could just make happen. Like many people, I like to feel in control of my life, and the success of my future books was not something I could control. I also experienced a bit of imposter syndrome -- that I wasn't really good enough or cool enough to be a New York Times bestselling author. It took me a bit of time to get out of my head about it and focus on going back to what I could control -- writing stories that I love and trusting that other people would love them too. 

AS: Writing within the realm of children's literature is powerful and impactful genre-work. What draws you into children's literature, and what inspires you to connect with young readers and their minds?

PZM: Being a kid means experiencing so many things for the first time. And, those first experiences can result in a lot of big emotions. I love writing for kids because you can channel those first-time experiences and big emotions into a story that might be funny or reassuring or informative. And, that story you write might make it easier for its readers to handle their emotions and know they're not the only ones feeling them.

 In many ways, I write books for the kid I was and for the kids I know. And, by doing that, my books usually end up being for everyone. Because emotions are universal. I always want to write a book that anyone -- from age 4 to 104 -- could read and feel a connection to because, at some point they've had that experience or felt that feeling. And, reminding people of those universal human emotions helps us see that we're more alike than we think.

I also love introducing kids to the wonder of books. I hope that if they love books when they're young, they'll grow to become curious teen and adult readers.

 AS: Lastly, during your craft talk, you are focusing on revision tips throughout the writing process. For myself personally, I find myself often dreading revision and critique, even my own. What do you find yourself doing in preparation for your own revision-work?

PZM: One thing I've learned as a writer is that your story can ALWAYS get better. Always. And, sometimes, the more you think your story is done and perfect, the more you need to go back and think about it some more. 

So, I approach revision with a reminder to myself of what my goal is. To write the truest, best story I possibly can that excels in every way. Structure, voice, heart, pacing, plot, tension and language. And, as I'll talk about in my presentation, getting to that point sometimes means taking something you love and ripping it apart for the greater good. 

Revision is challenging yourself to do better. To reach writing heights you might not have considered before. I've always been competitive and tenacious, so revision is just unleashing those qualities on something that I wrote.

Click here to register today for Pat’s September 21 craft talk co-sponsored with the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library.

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Lyric Essays and Explosions: A Conversation with Matthew Gavin Frank

by Charlotte Gutzmer

We’ve all seen the classic action movie explosion sequence: beginning with the wide-angle shot where the building detonates, blossoming into a cloud of reds, oranges, and yellows, smoke pouring into the sky. At which point the hero always, always, turns away. But such a move extends beyond the Hollywood explosions.  In poet Alberto Rios’s piece “Some Extensions on the Sovereignty of Science”, he writes that “when something explodes, / Turn exactly opposite from it and see what there is to see.” Matthew Gavin Frank takes this advice to heart in his own writing, “turning away” from the subject matter in search of the more intriguing, bizarre, and extraordinary sources of inspiration—and you can, too!

Matthew Gavin Frank is the author of the nonfiction books, The Mad Feast: An Ecstatic Tour Through America’s Food, Preparing the Ghost: An Essay Concerning the Giant Squid and Its First Photographer, Pot Farm, Barolo, and Flight of the Diamond Smugglers; the poetry books, The Morrow Plots, Warranty in Zulu, and Sagittarius Agitprop, and 2 chapbooks. His heavily acclaimed work has been recognized by the New York Times, NPR, the New Yorker, The Paris Review, The Wall Street Journal, Entertainment Weekly, and more. On July 27th, join him in his CVWG craft talk: “Turning Away from the Explosion, Or, the Power of Free Association in the Lyric Essay”. 

I had the pleasure of chatting with Matthew Gavin Frank about his captivating books, about the new writing form of the lyric essay, and about his upcoming craft talk. Read on to learn all about creating balance in your writing and how the most fascinating stories can be found by turning away from the main subject.

Charlotte Gutzmer: In the description of your upcoming craft talk, you pose the question: “By ‘turning away’ from the subject matter with which we most urgently want to engage, are we able to capture our subject’s emotive power even more poignantly?” What are some of the advantages of approaching stories from these unexpected ways, and what can turning away from the main idea reveal?

Matthew Gavin Frank: Many of my favorite essays are struggling toward something, not presuming certainty.  In the essay, often, a presumption of certainty can seem boring. And aggressive.  And false.  Certainty often obscures a kind of truth, rather than illuminates it.  The act of “turning away from the explosion,” not only signifies that a writer is grappling—desperately and urgently—to make sense of often intense personal experience, but also signifies that the writer is interested in journeying toward that elusive sense by attempting to situate their own personal experience or obsession within a larger socio-cultural, natural, and/or historical context, in order to discover or revise or uncover meaning in personal experience.  It’s like forcing ourselves to glimpse the stars only via our peripheral vision, by which, of course, they appear the brightest to us.    

CG: Your nonfiction writing revolves around fascinating and extraordinary topics such as diamond-smuggling carrier pigeons and giant squids; where do you find the inspiration to write on these topics, and what kinds of stories are you generally drawn towards?

MGF: Hmm, I’m not entirely sure.  I think I’m pretty scattershot with regard to my obsessions, and I’m easily obsessed.  I have a decent capacity for surprise, oftentimes to a fault.  The giant squid book (Preparing the Ghost) began in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History when I saw the first-ever photograph of the giant squid (taken by Reverend Moses Harvey in St. John’s, Newfoundland in 1874; the image that rescued the beast from the realm of mythology and finally proved its existence; the one in which the carcass is draped over Harvey’s bathtub curtain rod in order to showcase its full size).  I desperately wanted to uncover the backstory behind the taking of the photograph, and of course, I became curious about the squid itself, and the ways in which we’ve variously engaged it over the years.  I wanted to know what the giant squid, and our reactions to it, could tell us about ourselves.  I became compelled by Harvey’s compulsions, and the sacrifices he had to make in order to chase them toward some nebulous end. And so, I lit out for Newfoundland to investigate further, to see what I could find out. 

The pigeon book (Flight of the Diamond Smugglers) began when I was visiting the Diamond Coast of South Africa, chatting deep into the night in a bar with a former diamond diver, over lots and lots of brandy.  He told me about the ways in which workers would sometimes use trained homing pigeons to smuggle diamonds out of the mines, and that if pigeons are overloaded with too much weight, they can lose their natural GPS, and begin landing at random.  This happened along coastal South Africa—diamond-bearing pigeons dropping from the sky onto the local beaches.  I couldn’t get that image out of my head.  A rain of birds, burdened with gems.  It was that image that eventually led me to investigate further. 

In answering this question, I’m starting to wonder how the act of traveling impacts my openness to potential subject matter, as if my nerve endings are more exposed and aroused when away from home. Traveling seems to intensify my penchant for self-reflection and self-pity, for loneliness, for the shoehorning of my own life into some larger socio-cultural context.  And all of these actions and desires— while traveling especially, and snapped out of my comfort zone— are likely misguided and obsessed with all the wrong beautiful things, and thereby terribly, heartbreakingly human.  And worth shuffling through on the page, via multiple drafts of course.  I don’t know.  This is a really long answer.

CG: As an acclaimed author of both nonfiction and poetry, how do you combine these distinct elements into what is known as the “lyric essay”?

 MGF: In the past, there was a real disconnect for me between the process of writing a poem, and the process of writing prose.  Not so much anymore.  As with the writing of poetry, much of the energy that fuels the writing of my essays is derived from the attempt to find the perfect ingredients necessary to bridge seemingly dissimilar bits of subject matter.  It’s wonderful: as writers, we have the power to manipulate connections between just about anything, no matter how seemingly dissimilar.  It just takes research, contemplation, imaginative alchemy, and the P.I.-style investigation to uncover that perfect “bridge” ingredient.  

CG: What are some of the greatest rewards and challenges of being a lyric essayist?

MGF: Sometimes, the essay needs to call out and re-examine our cultural narratives (and their desire to simplify the world for us) as illusory.  To call attention to the mess.  To restore a false simplicity to its innate complexity.  To agitate our readers’ expectations rather than to confirm them (as well as our own).  I suppose there’s both reward and challenge in forsaking easy, comforting answers, and instead embracing mystery.  Sometimes I have trouble separating these lines of thinking from the processes of writing and just plain general living.  

CG: How can a writer strike a balance between the “explosion” that is their subject matter and the associative subject matter that adds depth to their craft?

MGF: I’m not so sure that balance should be the goal here, but rather a carefully curated imbalance, maybe.  A symphonic, perhaps dissonant, kind of shuffling of the various bits of subject matter, which can sometimes be engaged via formal leaps (a braided essay, a segmented essay, an essay in the form of a syllabus, or in the form of an invented mathematical theorem, or in the form of series of love letters to multiple recipients across time and region and species, or in the form of a narrative map…).  

So, I’m not sure about balance.  I’m chronically imbalanced on the page, especially when drafting! I just try to keep moving forward.  I used to think that there was something wrong with this, and I kept grappling toward some semblance of balance (whatever that means), until I read this article by another writer (though I can’t recall who it is), about how such imbalance can be a good thing; how it can be electric and inspirational, and how that it’s precisely this sort of off-kilter and anxious state that oftentimes yields urgent and exciting work.  I really wish I could remember who wrote that article.  I’m sure if I was better balanced, my memory would be better as well!  And during the pandemic, I’ve learned to be gentler and more generous with myself and others, and not to fret too terribly over ephemeral and elusive and ever-malleable things like “balance.”  I’m not always successful at such ventures, but I’m trying.  

CG: While your craft talk will focus on “the power of association as an entry point into the lyric essay”, can these ideas still be incorporated into other writing forms and creative mediums?

MGF: Oh, of course.  Such ideas can be mapped over and onto just about any art form and medium, sure, but also onto any real aspect of navigating this life.  Going for a walk, watching birds, listening to the frogs, talking to the coupling dragonflies…  Being associative in this way is innate, isn’t it?  I mean: how to navigate all these stimuli?! Maybe it’s a matter of trusting in said associations and inflaming them, interrogating them, bringing them to the fore—being led around by the forces of whimsy and wonder. 

So what are you waiting for? Register today for Matthew Gavin Frank’s craft talk to learn all about how you, too, can turn away from the explosion and bring the inspiration of lyric essays into your craft.

On Love, Social Justice, and Poetry: An Interview with Angela Trudell Vasquez

by Charlotte Gutzmer

In a world fraught with conflict and injustice, Angela Trudell Vasquez grips her pen tightly, writing poems of healing, identity, and love. These magically captivating poems do more than simply warm the heart; they bring people together, fostering a prosperous community like no other.

Angela Trudell Vasquez is a Mexican-American writer and holds an MFA in poetry from the Institute of American Indian Arts. Finishing Line Press published her third collection of poetry, In Light, Always Light, in 2019, and recently accepted her fourth collection, My People Redux, for publication. Her poems have appeared in the Yellow Medicine Review, The Slow Down, the Raven Chronicles, The Rumpus, on the Poetry Foundation’s website, and elsewhere. She is the current poet laureate of Madison, Wisconsin and the first Latina to hold the position. She recently co-edited a poetry anthology entitled Through This Door—Wisconsin in Poems, with current Wisconsin Poet Laureate, Margaret Rozga, and released it through her small press, Art Night Books, in November 2020. With poet Millissa Kingbird, she co-edited the Spring 2019 issue of the journal the Yellow Medicine Review. On July 29th, join her in her CVWG craft talk: “Poetry for the People Workshop”.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Angela about her poetry, her experience as the first Latina poet laureate, and about her upcoming craft talk; read on to learn all about incorporating themes of social justice and love into your writing, about writing poems of witness and share, and more!

Charlotte Gutzmer: The About Place Journal describes your poetry as a medium for “highlighting love and social justice”. How can one incorporate these themes into poetry, and how does the process of writing and publishing these poems affect writers and readers?

Angela Trudell Vasquez: Wow, that's really nice of them. I write what I feel and have been an activist from a young age marching with my parents for farmworkers' rights with Cesar Chavez during the lettuce boycott as a child. We lived in Iowa City at the time, my Dad went to the University of Iowa on the GI Bill and we lived in family student housing with people from all over the world. The smell of curry floated into our open windows. My best friend was from Australia. My parents were founding members of the Chicano House and we spent lots of time there. I think I was born a feminist actually. Social Justice has long been a part of my life. We were a Mexican American family living in Iowa, a suburb of Des Moines, we had politics for breakfast as a family and discussed history and politics, not just partisan, we went deeper. I understood class, socio economics from an early age having a super big family with different levels of education and income. Personally, people need to write about what they are moved to write. What are your deep concerns? Your words? Poetry must come from a deep well of truths, your truths. Everyone has their own story to tell and people are endlessly fascinating to me. Poetry can close the gap between people, foster greater understanding, connection and healing. Poets can not be false. There are two things I will mention when I present in June, poetry of witness and documentary poetics. I come from a long line of literary ancestors who helped shape me into the poet I am today. The more we share our poems the more we learn from each other and the greater human experience for all. 

CG: In addition to your own writing, you also have experience editing with the literary journals Yellow Medicine Review and About Place Journal.  How have your experiences in publishing influenced your perspective of the world around you? 

ATV: I have also edited a few more collections including two zines from my time in Milwaukee, and one most recently with the former Wisconsin Poet Laureate, Margaret Rozga, in November 2020 entitled, Through This Door. I also have my own press with my husband, Art Night Books. I find publishing others to be a joy! It does take work. I have learned that when curating a collection it is important to let all the pieces come in before I start reviewing them, so that the pieces can be in conversation with one another. You put a call out to the universe and you get what is floating in the ether. You get exactly what you need. I have also discovered I love having a co-editor like Millissa Kingbird with the Yellow Medicine Review, and Peggy Rozga with Through This Door which along with the other titles came out of Art Night Books. I love talking art and poetry with co-editors and shaping something into being. I enjoy editing my own work and developing good editorial skills in my MFA program. I will say there are so many good writers out there doing their thing without lots of fanfare and it is nice to publish them alongside more well-known writers. I guess I have learned we do not do anything on our own but with the help of others, and I do want to encourage others to write and express themselves. 

CG: In 2020, you were named Madison’s Poet Laureate, and you are the first Latina to hold the role! Could you reflect on your experiences so far in this position? 

ATV: Yes! I am the first Latina in this role and I do not take that lightly. I have had a great time. Later today I will proof the final images for the Bus Lines Poetry Project. I consider myself a literary ambassador, a poet for the people, and I want to connect, only connect in this role and sometimes that means reading my own poems and other times it means expanding people's ideas of poetry by introducing them to someone else's work. The city of Madison has been very welcoming. I love working with Karin Wolf who is my main contact at the city. I love bringing other poets and their poems to read poems at the City Council meetings. I have lost track of how many poetry contests I have judged and how many virtual readings I have done at this point. I do know how many I have done in person. I look forward to being more in the community and working with more young people. Poetry is having its day right now! In addition to what I do locally, I am active on the national and regional scene. Being the Madison Poet Laureate is my dream come true! I have been writing since the age of 7, and really it has been unbelievable for me. I feel most fortunate.

CG: Your craft talk will feature an exercise where participants “write their own poems of witness and share.” Could you speak on the importance of writing these types of poems?

ATV: Yes, absolutely. I am among other things a poet of place, space and time. I learned the term "Poetry of Witness" from the amazing poet who I adore Carolyn Forche, and I credit her book, The Country Between Us, as shaping me as a young poet in my twenties. Her work was also part of my thesis, this book, among many of her others. I like to write contemporary poems about the people around me, the times we are in and what I observe and see in the world. I can write a poem about anything; but sometimes I choose to write from the point of view of the witness, and/or create or sculpt on the page what I see, observe and suss out from the world around me. I write when traveling and before the pandemic that meant poems from travels in the US and outside. It can be a serious topic or it can be something else too.  Like my poems from Isla Mujeres. Or poems from this past weekend, poems from my first niece's wedding, the first to call me, name me "Titi." There were so many beautiful moments I have been writing them down, glimmers, and there is also this absence of those we miss like the young groom's father and his grandmother. With fierce love comes this sadness, coupled with coming together after the pandemic. We have to keep laughing or we will be crying moments, what people said, how they danced with the photographer, the moment we lost track of the rings, the way the young people looked, the bridal party walking down the aisle magnificent and pure in their love for the couple getting married. Meanwhile somewhere else there are people being bombed, losing what we all hold precious, our lives, our beloveds, our lives. This is all true. We, the people come and go but "Art Speaks" across the ages. You can time travel in poems. I have touched on this before in many other poems...

CG: In your upcoming craft talk, you will be sharing your poetic influences, including Carolyn Forché, Joy Harjo, Simon Ortiz, Eduardo Galeano, Allison Adelle Hedge Coke, Arthur Sze, among others. What can we learn from studying the work of other authors, and what is one poetic technique that you have picked up from these writers? 

ATV: This is going to be so exciting for me! There is much to learn from other poets and to enjoy. Think about how much you enjoy standing in front of a piece of art at the Art Institute of Chicago or at the Chazen in Madison, or the Art Museum in Milwaukee, just writing down the names sparks my brain thinking of all the art I have seen and admired being alive. Good art inspires more art I find. There are poems I can never get enough of in this world and poems I am just stumbling on. I have almost passed out at a reading of a colleague or mentor at IAIA. Reading, listening to writing, these are wonderful gifts of humanity. If you want to be an artist/writer I think it is important to study others and not limit it to literary arts by any means. Arthur Sze's notion of every line being a poem is something I greatly admire!

CG: In the description for your upcoming craft talk, you also state that “poets and poems are central to the global movement towards peace and justice”. How can poetry be used as a force for positive societal change? 

ATV: Point of view, empathy, someone else's story, one they have shared with you can be very effective as a tool for creating a more just and peaceful world. The more we know about each other the less we can dehumanize each other, or allow others to do it to large groups of people. Story telling, sharing of words and stories, and poems can only help the equation. Poems are meant to be heard and are rooted in an oral tradition which by definition creates community. Art has traditionally been used for many different causes; it can certainly work for today's concerns as well. I think about how music, songs from the civil rights movement are just as poignant and relative today as they were when they initially played on the radio. I think of Picasso's Guernica and what it felt like to stand under it and witness what he depicted on the canvas for everyone to see and remember.

So what are you waiting for? Register today for Angela Trudell Vasquez’s craft talk to learn how you, too, can take the next steps towards writing poetry that can help bring people together instead of tearing them apart.

The Healing Power of Dogs: An Interview with Bonnie Wright

Some might say it’s best to let “sleeping dogs lie,” but not Bonnie Wright. In her debut memoir, Diggin’ Up Bones: One woman's spiritual struggle and her golden retriever who leads her out of unconscious transgenerational shame, she confronts her own chaotic and abusive childhood with the help of a dog, Saxon. Saxon, who was dangerously aggressive in his early months, was rehabilitated with Bonnie’s help. And as she supported Saxon, Saxon supported her. The result is a painful yet inspiring story of faith, persevering beyond life’s obstacles, and overcoming shame. We recently had the chance to catch up with Bonnie to learn more about her book and writing process.

1.) Diggin’ Up Bones details the psychological and emotional damage you endured growing up.  How has writing helped you process some of those experiences?

Writing my story over the course of twelve years caused deep introspection and research seeking reasons for walking through life with a heavy heart and a broken relationships. The process of balancing a positive outlook and internally battling the self talk inflicted upon me as a child. The messaging of invisibility, silencing, worthlessness, slamming against self- confidence. Being raised to believe the word curses of being stupid and berated.  The counterbalance was having the messages of faith and all things are possible with God which lit my spirit to push through adversity.  A belief that shame is not who I was supposed to be and I had a purpose as early as eight years old. Writing uprooted years of buried trauma. Having the courage to face its reality, using all senses we are given to experience it again, and God’s grace to move through it, forgive those who have done damage, and thanking those who have supported me, to let shame go.

2.) Your book also touches on the power of shame, and its negative impact on those who experience it?  Can you share a bit about how to overcome those feelings that hold us back?  

Yes.  It is a spiritual struggle within that is not fixed by a therapist or drugs, it is a personal choice I made. Faith and believing in Christ sacrifice by accepting him in our hearts and a housecleaning of the heart and mind releasing shame’s power. During my spiritual search to heal, what I learned on this healing journey was the love of God and the Holy Spirit, my mother taught me as a child which anchored me through life’s dark desolate valley, lifting me up to a life of hope, internal peace, wisdom, freedom from anxiety, healthy boundaries, and joy.  That inner small voice that protects us. It is having that one-on-one personal relationship with Christ through prayer that removes the heavy heartedness and living a life filled with promise and improved health. One may say religion, I say Christ who God sacrificed with his pure love for us and has the power to heal because of his blood shed on the cross. Once accepting that nothing in this world will fix the spiritual thirst implanted and believe, shame loses control. Life’s perspective changes and the past trauma is blinded and healed.  Because living in a shame based home love and belonging were absent. We are all children of God who has given each of us a life purpose before we were formed.  We are here to love, serve, forgive, be grateful, humble, and respond to people as Jesus would with kindness, and forbearance. We are here to be stewards. If more of us took that perspective, division and chaos would lose its grip.

Before we can heal we have to recognize and understand what shame looks like and how it has affected one’s life,  and how it operates in each life and across society and government. First and foremost, fear. It holds the mind prisoner blocking out any positive input and is controlling, leading the victim to believe in hopelessness. It forces silence and early death whether through disease or suicide. It pits people against one another causing violence.  It creates an unrelenting psychological abusive environment of chaos and anger. And when anger is planted deep enough shame is in control.  Because shame is transgenerational, it is transferred at conception, reproducing another generation of dysfunctional homes, causing the innocent child to believe it their normal.

“Shame wears many disguises. It comes through in body language of finger pointing, blame, anger, and twisted another’s words, creating fear, gas lighting, name calling, rejection, degrading”

— Bonnie Wright

Shame wears many disguises. It comes through in body language of finger pointing, blame, anger, and twisted another’s words, creating fear, gas lighting, name calling, rejection, degrading. Belittling, control, sexual abusive, addictions, denial, mean-spirited pranks, manipulative, mind games, loves chaos and flies under the radar. Left to its own devices it presents with anger, bitterness, resentment, contempt and eventually disease of the heart, gut and cancer. One never considers shame with all of its disguises. That’s why it is an unconscious villain actor manically laughing at us.

3.) Your book also tells the story of your powerful relationship with your Golden retriever, Saxon.  Can you describe a story in which Saxon helped you overcome some of the obstacles your book describes?

In the chapter called “Muzzled” is when I fully realized my childhood trauma, seeing him silenced wearing a black muzzle, depressed, hopeless, isolated as an outcast, pushing down the bitterness further within sliced into my heart and opened my consciousness and felt my conscience come alive. Love knows no boundaries and that was how I felt about him and the feelings were mutual. He would know joy if it took the rest of his life and the giving of my life to save him. Shame, anger, and stress took his life far too early, proving the detrimental effects that lead to chronic disease. Ultimately he succeeded showing me a hopeful path of life everlasting. He served his life’s purpose.

4.)   Can you share a bit about the writing process?

Yes. The book evolved from a daily journal after Saxon died. The concept of book was there but the know how to write it was not. Doors opened to me of persons who could help me put logic and order to my journaling. I knew nothing about book structure or process, or what a book required to have interest beyond a personal journal. Much less how to write memoir or what the golden thread of Diggin’ Up Bones would be. The book title changed at least four times as the book took on its own energy. After working with three writing coaches and finally connecting with Marion Roach Smith, author and writing coach of the Memoir Project, Troy School of Arts, Troy, New York, I learned how to write my story and give voice to the core message. She deeply cared.

She taught me about book structure and gave me a process she teaches to all of her writing students... She has a very simple algorithm to follow. First, decide one aspect in your life you are writing about or the arc of the book. Eventually I discovered shame to be part of the main theme. But faith was a critical factor and so was Saxon.  Saxon was the symbol of faith.

Want to check it out? Bonnie’s book is available at Amazon,

The Local Store, and at bonniewrightwrites.com   

Watch David Shih's "'You want to write a sentence as clean as a bone': Writing About Race"

In January, David Shih presented a powerful craft talk on writing about race. The talk was so well received that several attendees asked if we might make it available for replay. We’re so glad we can. Thanks to David for sharing his knowledge, and to attendees and viewers for listening and learning alongside him.

Sending Out Sunshine: On Writing Letters to Bring Healing and Joy

“There’s something intoxicating about a handwritten piece of mail sailing to us across the US Postal Service. ”

Katy Hackworthy

There’s something intoxicating about a handwritten piece of mail sailing to us across the US Postal Service. Every time my roommate slides a pile under my door, I delight in everyone’s unique handwriting, declaring who sent a bit of themselves to make my day a little brighter. The floors of my room are strewn with half ripped envelopes tucked into piles of overdue library books, little reminders motivating me to send out a bit of extra sunshine myself. 

This holiday season, I had  every ambition to write love letters to pals, family members, and even old acquaintances as gifts. Due to the way things tend to go during that bustling time of year (where do the hours run off to?), and a solid dose of grief pervading almost every aspect of my life, I only sent off maybe one or two bits of snail mail. 

Lucky for me, the pile of empty but stamped & addressed envelopes still sat on my desk among spilled candle wax, ink weary pens, and half full journals. While I haven’t completed the pile, I did dive in headfirst to reciprocate the delight I’ve felt coming home to a handwritten letter. What’s the new year for if not to make good on old promises made to yourself in a time that once seemed to be brimming with possibility?

For even more accountability, I took some time off social media, but only after asking if anyone would like to be pen pals. To my delight, I got a few takers, including someone I’ve mostly been in professional spaces with whose kind words, meticulously done coloring pages, and sweet cards have brought such joy since our new form of correspondence, and someone who I connected with on a dating app many moons ago who happens to have the same visceral love for the outdoors, working with youth, and Ross Gay as I do. 

While I’m not always consistent, I’ve spent a good chunk of the first few months of 2021 with pen and paper instead of tired eyes & mindless scrolling. As a result, I have gorgeous art reminding me someone out there supports me, I have reclaimed my time in service of myself and others, and I have strengthened connections with people who were mere acquaintances before the word “pal” accompanied our pens. 

“It’s easy to see letter writing as something “less than” writing, but for me, it’s been a welcome creative outlet when I haven’t had the capacity to take the more emotionally laborious path towards poetry, or explore some of the heaviness I’ve been carrying around through creative nonfiction. ”

It’s easy to see letter writing as something “less than” writing, but for me, it’s been a welcome creative outlet when I haven’t had the capacity to take the more emotionally laborious path towards poetry, or explore some of the heaviness I’ve been carrying around through creative nonfiction. I welcome the intimacy that comes from having an audience of one person instead of having to consider a wider swath of readers. The time I’ve spent writing these letters has been a form of healing during such a heavy time, and I’m grateful for the newness the changing of the seasons will continue to bring.

From a rapidly scrawled postcard from a pal abroad to a sprawling letter from a sweet stranger or lover, something about the extra bit of intention involved always makes this kind of correspondence all the more special, especially in times of increased isolation & neverending screen time. From a pen pal’s response trusting me with work advice & a gorgeous, thoughtful coloring sheet that sits atop my dresser to telling my best friend to save one of my letters “for a time she really needs it”, it’s been extra wonderful to witness the tangible impact of these correspondences. I hope you take some time out of your busy, weird, & wild schedules to make some room for this intention, and send a little sunshine for the price of a stamp. 

Magic, Forests, and Transcribing The Abstract Into The Tangible: An Interview with the Guild's Newest Intern, Charlotte Gutzmer!

Guild friends, we are overjoyed to introduce Charlotte Gutzmer, the CVWG’s new Spring 2021 intern! Charlotte is an English (creative writing) major at UW-Eau Claire and an avid reader and writer. (So clearly she’s in the right place!). We recently sat down with Charlotte to get to know her a bit better, and in particular, to learn more about what inspired her to become a part of the Guild! Read on! And look forward to all sorts of great articles from Charlotte in the coming weeks!

Interviewer: What inspired you to become a part of the CVWG?

Charlotte Gutzmer: In elementary school, I fell in love with words. Reading and writing were a big part of my life growing up, and they still are--in fact, I’m a creative writing major! I think that the way words bring people together is magical in a way. I sought out the Guild because I wanted to be a part of a community of people who love words as much as I do, and I really feel like I’ve found that. I’m really looking forward to creating connections with other writers and to getting to know the writing scene of Chippewa Valley. 

I: What do you like to write?

CG: I consider myself an experimental writer. I like to dabble in all areas of writing, but my absolute favorites are fictional prose and poetry. Writing poetry is really cathartic to me. It’s nice to be able to transcribe abstract thoughts and aesthetics into something more tangible, and it helps me get to know myself more, too. In addition, I love to write short stories. It’s fascinating how you can encapsulate so much emotion and change into a short piece. The limited space of a short story also inspires me; there’s something about the pressure of working in a confined space that makes me explore themes I wouldn’t otherwise.

I: What’s your favorite genre?

“I’m enamored by the idea of magic and how it plays into our everyday lives, so magical realism has a special place in my heart.”

CG: Ooh, this is a tough one. I’m enamored by the idea of magic and how it plays into our everyday lives, so magical realism has a special place in my heart. I love the idea that magic is found in the mundane, not just the fantastical, and that we encounter it constantly. Looking at the world through this lens has really helped me with my own mental health. However, I wouldn’t be able to discuss my favorite genres without mentioning fantasy, science fiction, horror, and psychological thrillers. Exploring what makes us human is at the heart of what I love about literature, and these genres really do a good job of highlighting exactly that while also exploring beautiful, terrifying, and sometimes impossible-to-understand places.

I: What do you love about the Chippewa Valley?

“Forests have always been a place of incredible beauty and peace for me. I often spend hours just hiking through the forest while daydreaming, listening to music, or just appreciating the world around me. ”

CG: I grew up in the Madison area and came to Eau Claire for the first time when I started college. The first thing that drew me here was the landscape, particularly the forests. Forests have always been a place of incredible beauty and peace for me. I often spend hours just hiking through the forest while daydreaming, listening to music, or just appreciating the world around me. The rivers and fauna are amazing, too! After moving to Eau Claire, I knew I’d made the right choice. Not only have I made incredible friends here, but I love the atmosphere of the city, especially downtown Eau Claire. And now I have the incredible opportunity to work closely with other writers! It’s a win-win situation.

I: Finally, what are you most excited for in this internship?
CG: There are lots of occasions that I’m really looking forward to this semester, such as the (soon to be officially announced!) Sound & Stories: All Creatures Great and Small event. We have some really talented writers on the line-up this semester that I can’t wait to meet and speak to! I’m also excited for the opportunity to make connections with the professional world of writing and to grow as a writer myself.

On Authenticity, Freedom in Form, and Imitation Crab: A Conversation with Katie Vagnino

 What is authenticity? In a culture that loves reality shows and movies “based on a true story,” yet puts on a facade for social media and our everyday lives, what’s real? What’s simply an “imitation” of the truth? In her new book Imitation Crab, poet Katie Vagnino explores questions of artificiality versus authenticity while maintaining a playful, humorous tone.

Katie Vagnino is a poet and a former professor at UW-Eau Claire. She is now based in the Twin Cities and working in marketing, yet her passion for teaching, creative writing, and poetry are still very apparent in her life. I had the opportunity to chat with Vagnino over the phone about Imitation Crab, releasing February 5th, 2021, as well as her perspective on the freedom that poetic forms provide, inspiringly weird critters and creatures, and collaborative cover art. Enjoy the interview below, and preorder your copy of Imitation Crab now on Finishing Line Press here!

Elise Eystad: Imitation Crab, what a fun title! I read the title poem on your website, and wondered, what was the inspiration behind titling the book with that poem? Does it hint at a general theme throughout the poems included?

Katie Vagnino: I decided to make that the title because I'm a fan of that poem, but I also think it reflects the themes echoed in the collection; questions of authenticity and how we determine what's real and what’s fake or artificial. Poetry as a genre gets accused of being off-putting or alienating because of some of the artifice that goes into it. Poems sometimes have rhyme or meter and it’s a little less natural than normal speech, right? That can make people suspicious of poetry. That’s kind of a meta-explanation of the title. More to the point, it's a trend that interests me: in our era we seem obsessed with truth and reality—whether we're having conversations about fake news or reality shows—and you see things marketed as being “based on a true story.” As a culture, we’re kind of obsessed with the idea that there’s more value if things are real. And also, just in our everyday lives, I imagine a lot of us are trying to live authentically or according to some sort of truth that is meaningful to us. I think that that’s something that bubbles up in the book: questions about where we may be performing in our lives, like playing different roles depending on where we are and who we are interacting with. Sometimes those roles are prescribed by gender or other things that relate to identity. I also just genuinely thought it would be fun to have a quirky title. There’s a lot of very serious poetry titles out there, and I just wanted something playful and a little bit weird. There's some humor in some of the poems, so I wanted that to be reflected in the title, as well.

EE: What would you say some of the main themes of the book are? Are there consistent things that inspire your poetry?

“Not all of it is necessarily autobiographical, but most of my poems are pretty narrative. I like to tell stories or at least hint at them. ”

KV: Like I said, there are considerations of artificiality versus authenticity. There is also a feminist bent to the poems. I think I’m just drawn more to women's perspectives, women’s stories. Something that I didn't really intentionally do, but that became apparent as I was putting it all together, is that there are also a lot of small creatures and insects [in the book]. I'm not sure what that necessarily means, per say, but it seems to be a trope. For example, I have a sonnet about oysters, and there's some other critters that come up. In terms of imagery, it seems to be something I'm drawn to. There’s a poem called “Small Mammals of Tree Haven” about creatures that are in a diorama that I saw when I was in Rhinelander, WI. It’s all about weasels, voles, and other little weird animals that populate the Northwoods forest.

Obviously, there are also poems about relationships and family. Not all of it is necessarily autobiographical, but most of my poems are pretty narrative. I like to tell stories or at least hint at them. Stylistically, there's definitely a lot of formal pieces. I do tend to write more in verse forms, like sonnets, sestinas, villanelles. There is some free verse in the collection, too, but I’d say one of the hallmarks of my style is narrative formalism.

EE: I was going to ask about some of the poetic techniques and devices that you use. It seems that you like more of the formal side of poetry!

“I feel like it actually can be paradoxically freeing to have some constraints to work with. Free verse can be a little daunting, because you have literally all possibilities open to you...”

KV: Yeah, I feel like it actually can be paradoxically freeing to have some constraints to work with. Free verse can be a little daunting, because you have literally all possibilities open to you. Sometimes by having some rules or guidelines, you wind up making more interesting, unusual, or surprising choices, which can be exciting. If you’re not having to think about rhyme, meter, or a repeating word in a particular place, I find that a little bit paralyzing; it's like too much freedom. I also think the things I might come up with aren’t necessarily as interesting as how my mind works if I'm working within a form.

Sound is also really important to me. My poems don't necessarily have a lot of rhyme, which is what people tend to think of when they're thinking about sound in a poem. But there are a lot of other tools and devices that can make a poem musical. All the same things we think about and talk about with music apply to poetry, in terms of rhythm and pacing. You can use sound to speed up how a reader moves through a poem or slow them down, so modifying sound impacts tempo, if you will. Also, just how the words sound, how they feel in your mouth, how your ear interprets different sounds makes a difference. Long vowel sounds have a very different impact than a lot of short plosives syllables, right? There's a reason that expletives have hard consonants: it gives them more impact. So, basically I believe the words, the music, and the sound of the poem should tell the story of the poem, ideally. Whatever the poem is about should in some way be reinforced or expressed in the music of it.

EE: Yeah, definitely! I like that a lot. So, this is your first published collection of poetry. Can you walk me through the process of getting to this point?

KV: A chunk of the poems came from my MFA thesis. As part of getting my MFA in Creative Writing, my final project was a book-length project. This book is not that project, but some of the poems started there; I'd say a lot of them started there, though they changed. I continued to edit them, rearrange them, and whatnot. And I continued to write, because it's been almost a decade since I finished that degree. When I came out of school, I felt like I didn't really have a book of poems yet. I felt like I had a start, and then just in the last few years, I started thinking about trying to put together a manuscript, which involved looking at everything I had. A traditional full-length collection is anywhere from 48 to 100 or pages, so I had to decide what I wanted in, what I didn't want to include, and how I wanted to organize the poems, which was which was difficult, because it's not like a novel where there’s a story that is told in some sort of order. It was hard for me to wrap my mind around how it would make sense to cohesively group the poems, so I got some input from other folks. I shared some poems with them and got some ideas around how to think about arranging them.

About two years ago is when I started sending out the manuscript. I started entering it into contests. There are a number of first book contests, or contests for people who haven't yet published a book of poetry. I felt like that was a good way to get my foot in the door. I also just entered contests that were open to anyone. Also, some small presses have open reading periods, where you're allowed to send them your work. That’s the way a lot of poetry books come into the world. It’s a little different than fiction, for example. Poets don't usually work through agents. It’s more direct; you send your stuff and either have to win a contest or be memorable out of a pile of submissions during an open reading period. So, I got a lot of rejections, obviously, and a few promising ones, where they didn't accept the manuscript but said it came close or that they thought it had potential. I was a finalist a few times in different contests, and then this past May, I got notified that Finishing Line Press was interested in publishing it.

EE: Local artist Jen Schultz created your cover art. Were there any specifications that you had or an image in your head for it? Or did she just create something and give it to you?

KV: It was definitely a collaborative process. I found Jen through Volume One and saw some of her work on her Instagram. I liked her collage style; I thought it had a fun, surreal, playful energy to it. We met up in June, in Eau Claire (socially distanced, of course), and I shared some poems with her. We talked a little bit about what kind of aesthetic I was looking for, but I didn't give her real prescriptive guidelines. I thought I wanted some sort of crab representation on the cover, whether that was going to be a literal crab or crab claws. I was curious to see what she would come up with.

After we met initially, she mocked up a few design ideas with some images that she had found. The first image she sent me had those women with the crab accessories, and I immediately responded to that. It’s funny because she sent me maybe eight or ten images that involved crabs, and that just happened to be the first one in the group, and then that one just kept coming back as a favorite. From there, she laid out a few different covers, and then there was some back and forth about fonts and the color palette. So, it was very collaborative; I wasn't doing the work of making the changes, but there was back and forth until we landed on something we both really liked.

EE: Lastly, anything you’d like to share about yourself? What do you do when you’re not writing a poetry book?

“I joke sometimes that I feel like marketing and poetry are diametrically opposed. Like, you can’t get more opposite. Poetry is interested in truth, and marketing is interested in selling and promoting, creating the appearance of value. There’s that real vs. fake dichotomy again!”

KV: I still really love teaching; that's what brought me to Eau Claire in the first place. I still feel connected to friends there and the University, and I'm still doing some teaching. I teach my own monthly workshop, currently on Zoom. Otherwise, my day job is marketing for a digital health company. I joke sometimes that I feel like marketing and poetry are diametrically opposed. Like, you can’t get more opposite. Poetry is interested in truth, and marketing is interested in selling and promoting, creating the appearance of value. There’s that real vs. fake dichotomy again! Also, I’m still in a band that's based in Eau Claire: The Flaming Doublewides, so I sing in my band when there's not a pandemic happening! 

EE: What’s the release date and where can people get a copy of Imitation Crab?

KV: It releases Febuary 5th. You can preorder it now through the Finishing Line Press website. Once it comes out, it will be available on Amazon and the publisher’s website, and hopefully in some local bookstores! I live in the Twin Cities, but I’m hoping to get it to some Eau Claire bookstores, as well.

Things That Go Bump When You Film: An Interview with Eau Claire Filmmaker Steve Dayton on the Release of His New Film, "gIVE"

Kensie Kiesow

Halloween may be in the rearview, but there’s still plenty of time to beat the dust from your sweaters, heat up a mug of cider, and huddle in front of the TV for an evening of frights and fun! This December, the Guild is thrilled to spotlight another inspired creative from Eau Claire: Steve Dayton. Dayton is a local film producer, writer, and director whose art warns what happens when you go poking about in the shadows of your psyche, where your worst fears come out to play. Despite his busy schedule and early calls to the set, Dayton was kind enough to tell me more about his upcoming movie “gIVE” recently filmed right here in the gorgeous forests of Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Kensie Kiesow: Have you made other movies, horror or otherwise, before gIVE? Where could someone find them? 

Steve Dayton: My first feature that I directed is titled Pop Punk Zombies, and it’s about two friends going to the opening night concert for the first ever zombie punk band. As you can imagine, it doesn't go well. But, as of 2020 we ended our deal with Brain Damage Films, and we’re looking to get it on new platforms in 2021.

KK: Are you producing this movie as well as writing and directing it?

SD: Yes, this is a low budget endeavor that came out of my need to create another feature.  I wanted to do something a little different where, instead of having a locked down script, we had a treatment and worked through the scenes as we shot them.

KK: Why did you choose a Wisconsin forest for the setting?

“Low budget movie making is all about using what you have. I had a house, an amazing family and wife, great friends, and a Wisconsin forest, so that’s what I used to make this movie. Plus, I also had five mannequin heads.”

SD: Low budget movie making is all about using what you have. I had a house, an amazing family and wife, great friends, and a Wisconsin forest, so that's what I used to make this movie. Plus, I also had five mannequin heads.

KK: What about the horror genre interests you? 

SD: I like the suspense of it all.  I love Hitchcock movies and really terrible b- horror films and everything in-between.

KK: What was your first introduction to horror?

SD: I remember watching JAWS at a really young age and loving it.  I specifically remember being drawn to the scene where the little boy gets eaten mid-day at the packed beach.  The mom running around in the ocean screaming for her son. It's the emotion of that, that I am drawn to.  It's funny that you asked that because gIVE has a lot of that type of drama!

KK: Horror movies are often a reflection of what scares us, like communists during the 60’s or diseases now. Does this movie mirror your own fears?

SD: gIVE is a combination of my two greatest fears.  As a kid I was afraid that I would be taken away from my parents or they would be taken away from me.  I would lay in bed as a kid and think that aliens were going to take me.  As an adult, or at least someone who pretends to be an adult, my greatest fear would be to lose a child.  My life is my kids, and imagining something happening to them is something I don't even want to think about.

KK: What can you tell me about your movie without giving anything away?

SD: gIVE is about a couple whose daughter goes missing in a mysterious way.  After his wife becomes unresponsive to life, Jay, the main character, is left to enter the forest where his daughter was last seen to see if he can put together the pieces to a life that is fractured. giVE explores how humans cope with extreme loss and how to move on when you feel like you are not ready to.

gIVE is currently available for streaming on Amazon. Click here.

For more information about the movie gIVE, visit moviegive.com.

Follow Steve on Facebook and Instagram @give.movie

Beat Back the COVID Winter Chill: an Interview with Eric Rasmussen of Barstow & Grand

Kensie Kiesow

During a time when each drop of sunlight is scarce and precious, yet venturing outside to see it could send you to one of the maxed-out emergency rooms in Eau Claire, finding beauty and new perspectives in the world is more challenging than ever. We are isolated in our homes from our friends and family, forced to eat our Christmas cookies ourselves, and each day the whipping winds sting our pink cheeks a little harder. It is during these dark times that we all must remember the Chippewa Valley writing community is still alive and kicking out some great hits.

To beat back the darkening winter cloud above our heads, I spoke with Eric Rasmussen, the editor in chief of Barstow & Grand, about their exciting new issue that just released this fall! In this issue, expect to see work from some nationally known writers as the team behind B&G seeks to expand the Chippewa Valley writing community. The voices and artistic eye of midwestern writers and creatives, locally and nationally read, are combined in the fourth release of B&G’s latest journal. 

Editor Eric Rasmussen

Kensie Kiesow: What is the process like to compile and edit one of these issues?

 Eric Rasmussen: We take submissions in March and April each spring. From there, teams of readers read through each story and poem (usually about 200-300 total submissions), and they nominate pieces for round two. The editors read the round two pieces by early summer, and select what goes in the journal shortly afterwards. This allows us to edit and lay the issue out by August and September, all in preparation for the issue release in fall!

As for submissions, issue #4 was our first issue open to any upper-Midwest author (the first three issues focused on Chippewa Valley writers exclusively.) As we attempt to expand the Chippewa Valley literary community, this felt like the next natural step!

KK: What do you look for/encourage in the submissions for B&G?

ER: So far, word of mouth and our social media marketing has produced most of our submissions. In previous cycles we did a little better job with local outreach, and we hope to do more of that in the future. At the moment, the lit journal world is in a unique spot. There are A TON of journals out there (despite numerous big-name losses due to the pandemic), and as always, lots of writers who are trying to find audiences for their work. But finding the right pieces and maintaining a quality publication from year to year is harder than ever.

As for writing elements, we want to see whatever drives an author’s passion! We have no preference for any particular theme, genre, or idea. As a Midwestern journal, we do receive a lot of work tied to Midwestern themes - the land, agriculture, family, aging. Those pieces often have a harder time standing out, as we see so many. But we are open to any type of writing.

KK: What challenges has the COVID-19 pandemic presented to B&G and the making of this issue this year? How have you and the B&G staff overcome these challenges?

ER: Most of the challenges have been personal. No one involved in the process is financially compensated, which means B&G is essentially a hobby for its readers and editors, and prioritizing such work this year has been quite challenging. Also, many of our staff members are involved in different levels and aspects of education, and that field experienced some unique stresses this year. But, we all managed to find the time, even if the issue came out a little later than usual!

The biggest pandemic challenge, however, is revenue. We essentially sold enough issues at our release party each year to fund the following year’s issue. Without that release party, we’re in a tough financial spot.

The biggest pandemic challenge, however, is revenue. We essentially sold enough issues at our release party each year to fund the following year’s issue. Without that release party, we’re in a tough financial spot. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that Chippewa Valley literary community members will keep ordering issues online, and perhaps this spring we can put together an event to sell a few more!

KK: What is different or unique about this issue?

ER: First, we welcomed Dorothy Chan as our Managing Editor, and her experience, knowledge, and connections have been transformative. Her assistance helped Barstow & Grand take some big steps this year!

The inclusion of authors from farther afield (upper Midwest, in addition to Chippewa Valley submissions) definitely affected the character of the issue as well. Our first three issues were VERY midwestern - lots of nature stories and imagery, farming, gardening, and other pastoral work. This time a few more stories and poems set in more urban environments, with a little more action perhaps, help balance the work with gentler themes, and makes for a really compelling reading experience.

KK: What sort of message or feeling do you want your readers to take away from this issue?

First and foremost, B&G exists to support the writers of the Chippewa Valley, and I think B&G helps writers and readers everywhere understand that the inspiration found in our Midwestern fields and backyards is just as powerful and profound as the writing that comes out of the coasts or the big-city college campuses.

ER: First and foremost, B&G exists to support the writers of the Chippewa Valley, and I think B&G helps writers and readers everywhere understand that the inspiration found in our Midwestern fields and backyards is just as powerful and profound as the writing that comes out of the coasts or the big-city college campuses. Our authors are doing fascinating things, and we are thrilled to help highlight that!

New writers can submit their work for the next issue in March by visiting Barstow and Grand’s website and following the link to Submittable! As for you readers, local businesses need your help now more than ever. If you like art, poetry, and short stories written by Midwesterners just like you and you want to see more, consider purchasing a copy of this issue and support your local creatives!

Joy to the Word SNEAK PREVIEW: Sarah Jayne Johnson

“This was it, this was my moment. My sister had lost her patience, my dad had all but lost his voice, and I could feel my mother wanting to pull me back inside. One cold, deep breath in, and I launched myself onto the polar pillows below.”

We are just days away from Joy to the Word 2020 Edition! Which means, of course, that it will be held virtually! Thankfully, that makes the show more accessible than ever! And FREE! Click here to register, and on Dec. 17 at 6:30, settle in for stories courtesy of former Wisconsin poet laureate Max Garland, UWEC’s Director of Multicultural Affairs Dang Yang, UWEC English Professor Kaia Simon, and writer Sarah Jayne Johnson, all accompanied and with original music by The Nunnery. Also featuring original visuals by Erik Elstran.

Read on for three questions with Sarah, including a sneak preview of what she’ll be sharing…

Elise Eystad: Could you give a quote from the story you’ll be sharing?

Sarah Johnson: "This was it, this was my moment. My sister had lost her patience, my dad had all but lost his voice, and I could feel my mother wanting to pull me back inside. One cold, deep breath in, and I launched myself onto the polar pillows below."

EE: Why did you pick this story? What makes it special?

 SJ: The older I get, the more I realize what a privilege it was to have winter growing up and be given the opportunities only snow presents. We get so stuck in the shoveling, scraping, and (if you're me) slipping that we forget about the majesty winter brings us every year. I liked thinking back to a time when a big snowstorm meant a day off of school with my parents, leaving snow pants and mittens on the radiator, and flicking tiny flakes off my eyelashes. I adored getting caught in the nostalgia of winter through a child's eyes. Writing this story was fun because it reminded me to revert back to that childlike sense of wonder with things I don't appreciate enough as an adult.

EE: What is something in your world currently bringing you joy?

SJ: In a year where joy can seem like a distant memory, I've come to appreciate the little things in my day-to-day life. A well-made, comfortable bed. My husband making me tea. My little dog curling up in a blanket with me. All things that may seem mundane but put together remind me how lucky I am.

Joy to the Word SNEAK PREVIEW: Max Garland

““It was 10 below and the sun was not quite up and the moon not quite down.””

We are just days away from Joy to the Word 2020 Edition! Which means, of course, that it will be held virtually! Thankfully, that makes the show more accessible than ever! And FREE! Click here to register, and on Dec. 17 at 6:30, settle in for stories courtesy of former Wisconsin poet laureate Max Garland, UWEC’s Director of Multicultural Affairs Dang Yang, UWEC English Professor Kaia Simon, and writer Sarah Jayne Johnson, all accompanied and with original music by The Nunnery. Also featuring original visuals by Erik Elstran.

Read on for three questions with Max, including a sneak preview of what he’ll be sharing…

Elise Eystad: Could you give a quote from the story you’ll be sharing?

Max Garland: "It was 10 below and the sun was not quite up and the moon not quite down."

EE: Why did you pick this story? What makes it special?

MG: It's actually a poem and the surrounding story of something that surprised me as I wrote it. It seems connected to this particularly harrowing year.

EE: What is something in your world currently bringing you joy?

MG: Stepping outside in the morning, taking that first breath of winter air. Even though it's cold, there's a surge of something like joy. Also, coffee, geese flying over, snow, songs (particularly vocal harmony), and thinking about Inauguration Day, 2021-- all those things bring me moments of joy.

Tune in to Joy to the Word—part of the Pablo Streams series!—this Dec. 17 at 6:30!

"The Melody Comes First...": The Nunnery on Making Music, Collaboration, and Headlining CVWG’s "Joy to the Word"

Elise Eystad

One thing that signifies the holiday season to me each year is the assortment of holiday programs that we have here in Eau Claire. Whether it be a performance of the Nutcracker Ballet or a Big Band jazz concert of beloved Christmas tunes, I have always loved the creativity and entertainment that comes along with the month of December. With Covid impacting our ability to have and attend these programs, local artists and musicians have had to get creative with how to celebrate this season in 2020. Luckily, on December 17th, the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild is teaming up with The Nunnery—alongside storytellers Max Garland, Kaia Simon, Dang Yang, and Sarah Jayne Johnson—to create a charming and cozy night of wintry entertainment. Eau Claire’s annual “Joy to the Word” program will take place virtually, featuring a seasonal array of music, art, and stories.

This year’s Joy to the Word event features The Nunnery, which is the solo act of Sarah Elstran, based out of Minneapolis. The Nunnery is known for creating lush soundscapes through the use of layered vocals and looping effects. Unique to The Nunnery’s live performances are her use of visual projections and improvisation, which she hopes will communicate a “a thought without words.”

I recently asked Sarah a few questions about the Joy to the Word event and The Nunnery’s music. Read on to learn more!

Elise Eystad: With the Joy to the World event, it looks like you will be collaborating with other authors and storytellers. How does cross collaboration, with artists, musicians, writers, and others, impact music? What is special/beneficial about a performance with this kind of collaboration? 

Sarah Elstran (The Nunnery): Collaborating live is such an exciting way to create music; it's always so different based on the artist. You have to pay attention and adapt in real time without overthinking what you're playing while you create. For this show, all the collaboration will be improvised without any knowledge of what the readers will be saying or how they will say it. I hope to just add enough to enhance the artists and not overpower them.

EE: How do live projections and other visuals add to your performances? Are they specific to the song you’re performing? Tell me more about what goes into choosing the visuals for a performance,

SE: My projections are done by Erik Elstran. He projects all kinds of visuals of things he's filmed such as a foggy field to a kaleidoscope of plants. Because each song has its own feeling, the visuals usually represent that in an abstract and ethereal way. I like my music to be up for interpretation and the visuals can convey a different perspective to the music.

EE: You hope that the listener will experience “a sense of peace, a space to understand your own heart.” Can you elaborate more on what that means to you? What is your experience with music that communicates these things? 

“Music is a form of expression that can translate feelings without saying much at all. I’ve experienced times at shows where I close my eyes and all of a sudden, I’m transported into this place of the song. ”

SE: Everyone experiences music differently. Music is a form of expression that can translate feelings without saying much at all. I’ve experienced times at shows where I close my eyes and all of a sudden, I’m transported into this place of the song. In that place I feel, and I can identify with the song. I think few can say that music doesn’t affect them in one way or another.

 EE: Listening to your discography, I notice a lot of looping effects (which are awesome!). What draws you to utilizing looping in your music? What other effects or techniques do you tend to use or be drawn towards?

SE: Thank you, it’s fun to experiment with pedals and effects. It’s a huge tool in creating new soundscapes. I like to think my music will continue evolving and incorporating new effects. Another thing that helps me create is just a change of location. For instance, writing in a cabin near a lake versus writing in a car while driving through the desert makes for different inspirations to create. 

EE: Tell me about your songwriting process! As a fellow songwriter, I’m so interested in hearing others’ processes. What comes first for you: lyrics or instrumentation?

“Looping requires layering, it’s like I have the option to take a different route with each layer. I’ve had people during shows give me a random word and base a song around that. It’s fun to improvise on the fly...”

SE: Typically, the melody comes first. I don’t always hear the song as a whole before I begin. Looping requires layering, it’s like I have the option to take a different route with each layer. I’ve had people during shows give me a random word and base a song around that. It’s fun to improvise on the fly because I don’t know what’s going to happen while it’s happening.

EE: Finally, tell me any other details about the Joy to the World event that you have! Anything you’re particularly looking forward to with this performance? 

SE: Just excited to be playing a show with humans in all honesty. It’s been a long time and I’ve missed the connection through performances.

Be sure to check out The Nunnery on Spotify, Bandcamp, or anywhere else you stream music. You can also support her on her website, follow her on Instagram, and check out her new music video for “Proud.”

This year’s Joy to the Word event is free and open to the public. Check out the Pablo Center’s website or CVWG for more information on the event. Keep an eye out for future Guild articles on the Joy to the Word’s featured writers and speakers, and mark your calendar for December 17th at 6:30pm to celebrate with us!

Exploring Critical Theory Outside of Academia: An Interview With Bob Nowlan

Krisany Blount

Even before I was an English major, I found myself dissecting texts. Because I’m a young person – trapped somewhere in the mystery zone between Millennial and Gen Z – the texts I was analyzing were almost always from pop culture. From adaptations of Greek myths to yet another superhero movie, none of my favorites were safe. There was always some little detail to interrogate, a plot point to ponder, a single line to unpack layers of meaning from. This propensity has made me a better writer, but it has also confused some people who can’t understand why I want to pick apart the media I love. Why do I have to read so far into everything? It’s only entertainment, after all.

“For me, analyzing media is my way of telling it “I love you.” Taking it apart is like saying “I want to spend more time with you.” Close reading says “I want to know everything about you.””

For me, analyzing media is my way of telling it “I love you.” Taking it apart is like saying “I want to spend more time with you.” Close reading says “I want to know everything about you.”

Critical engagement tends to be viewed as something only academics do or are qualified to do. The thought is that you need to have a formal education and a fancy degree in something like film studies in order for your thoughts and observations to have merit. This is, of course, false. Though learning critical theory from a class will certainly make engagement easier, anyone, regardless of age or academic background, is capable of analysis.

And I think everyone should be able to engage critically with their favorite media. All art has a message. Critical theory helps us evaluate what a piece is saying and how well it’s saying it. Since interacting with media is unavoidable, critical theory is then another tool of media literacy.

But how can you get better at engaging critically with the media you consume? Reading is an obvious answer. This is why Dr. Bob Nowlan of the UW-Eau Claire English department is currently writing two books that will provide a starting point for understanding critical theory and its applications to popular culture. The first, 21st Century British TV Crime Drama: a Critical Guide, will utilize British TV crime dramas to provide an introduction to key concepts and practices in the fields of Critical Media Studies, Critical Studies in Film, Television, and Moving-Image Culture, and Critical Studies in Popular Culture. The second, Ian Curtis, Joy Division, and Critical Theory, aims to show similarities in the issues and questions tackled by both critical theorists and the band Joy Division.

I recently had the pleasure of chatting with him about the importance of learning critical theory, the intersections of pop culture, critical theory, and memoir, and what we can gain from critical interactions with pop culture. 

Krisany Blount: You’re currently writing a book about British TV crime drama and another about Ian Curtis and his band Joy Division, both with an emphasis on critical theory. What attracted you to these topics in particular?

Bob Nowlan: I first encountered the music of Joy Division during my freshman year, 1979-1980, at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut.  At the time I identified strongly with punk, from the likes of the Sex Pistols and the Clash.  I even was proud to be told, as a freshman university student, that I looked like Johnny Rotten, and later deliberately sought to make myself look even more like him.  Listening to Joy Division, I heard the same freshness, urgency, and intensity that attracted me to punk, yet also something transcending the immediacy and directness of punk, conveying, in contrast, a richly resonant sense of both distance and precision, a controlled fury emanating from a fiercely passionate yet also agonizingly vulnerable exploration of emotional, psychological, physical, and metaphysical extremes.  I have continued to listen regularly to Joy Division and to explore everything I possibly could in any way connected with Ian Curtis and Joy Division ever since, including via multiple extended visits to and extensive ‘field research’ conducted in Manchester and Greater Manchester, England.  

“This music connects powerfully with issues, and experiences, of deep personal impact and concern for me–issues and experiences that have proven definitively shaping, even in many respects ‘shatteringly’ shaping, of whom I am and what I am about.”

This music connects powerfully with issues, and experiences, of deep personal impact and concern for me–issues and experiences that have proven definitively shaping, even in many respects ‘shatteringly’ shaping, of whom I am and what I am about.  I find this particular life-story and this particular body of music together provide a fantastic avenue to explore and engage a striking intersection of interests between critical theory and popular culture, especially in relation to questions of ultimate and fundamental concern as well as those that traverse conventional boundaries between the sociological and the psychological.  I experience a strong personal resonance with what might well be identified as a ‘post-punk sensibility’ and to my mind Joy Division is without a doubt the all-time greatest post-punk band and Ian Curtis is without a doubt the all-time greatest post-punk musician.  Although I do love many, many more post-punk bands and musicians, including many contemporary outfits, such as, for example, The Twilight Sad and Fontaines D.C.!  In my book I approach the music of Ian Curtis and Joy Division as art, arguing this art encompasses a range of potential meanings and impacts far exceeding, and far superseding, common biographical connections, as understandably fascinating as so many people continue to find those to be–and I am striving to show how this music, as art, can be put to work in ways few have yet even anticipated or imagined, for all the popular attention and acclaim Ian Curtis and Joy Division have posthumously received.  

With 21st century British TV crime drama, I love these kinds of shows and watch them again and again, all the time, whenever I get the chance, and have done so for a great many years now.  I maintain an immense passion for British crime fiction–as literature, film, and television.  I love crime fiction, yet I abhor violence; I am really a quite gentle person; and I am, and long have been, fiercely committed toward working actively on behalf of social justice.  Then again, I share those tendencies, qualities, and commitments with many leading crime novelists as well as with many if not most leading creators of crime fiction movies and TV series.  My interest in 21st century British TV crime drama also undoubtedly connects with my even longer-running passionate interest in film noir, and noir fiction more broadly conceived, and with my personal affinity and attraction to what might well be identified as a noir sensibility and a noir aesthetics.  Crime fiction, including crime television, has long provided a pivotal site for symbolically staging, confronting, and striving to find ways to work through significant social as well as individual trauma.  Crime fiction simultaneously engages matters of fundamental philosophical concern, including relations between being and nothingness; the meaning, value, and significance of existence, including at its most intense and extreme; the multiplicity, division, and even fracturing of (personal and social) identity; the complications involved in determining what is ethical as well as how to lead an ethical life; and the boundaries distinguishing, as well as the inextricable interconnection that ultimately links, life and death.  I am focused in this book on shows that I can put to work as sites through which to inquire into these kinds of issues, and into many more narrowly specifically socially and politically topical issues, while also showing readers how multiple divergent critical readings of the same show can be simultaneously viable and plausible, especially by reading each show first as aligned with dominant ideology and second as aligned with critique of dominant ideology. 

The two books focus on considerably overlapping territory.  One key source of unity between the two is my emphasis on critical theory and my drawing upon my personal history of teaching and working with critical theory.  From my first encounter with critical theory as an undergraduate student I became enthused and impassioned about pursuing and contributing to further knowledge in critical theory.  I have, from this beginning point onward, found critical theory, for all its initial overtly seeming abstractness, to be ultimately highly concrete, relevant, and indeed urgent, and in all my teaching and scholarship concerned with critical theory I continually strive to show this to be the case.  I understand critical theory as ultimately continuous with all of the various theories and modes of criticism we all work with all the time, every day, and I find it offers its potentially most compelling contributions to understanding and practice when brought to bear in relation to popular culture, which includes culture that most of us spend a vast amount of our lives involved with, in multiple disparate ways.  I have been concentrating my intellectual work in critical theory and critical studies in popular culture ever since graduate school, and in my two books I am attempting to share with a much wider audience what I have shared with many classes of students I have taught in these same areas–to show how critical theory can be concrete, relevant, and urgent.

KB: You’ve taught ten classes on these topics since 2011. How have those experiences effected your conceptualization for these books?

BN: These series of five successive classes, and the students involved in all of these classes, inspired me to write these books.  I needed to work hard to be well prepared to teach these classes, and to continue to develop and refine my approaches to doing so, from one class offering to the next, but I learned, as I always do, immensely, from and with my students.  The fact students found these subjects exciting of interest, and that they worked to produce exceptional quality work as a result of us taking on these subjects together, demonstrated to me how much these particular focuses have to offer, of interest and value, to a great many people, including many who would not have imagined this to be the case until they began to pursue these paths of inquiry.  The sheer fact as well that teaching classes with each of these two focuses repeatedly, while continuing to develop and refine the two focuses from one iteration to the next, has only increased my interest in the subject matter, rather than leaving me tired of it, further emphasizes, for me, that these two books are endeavors I need to pursue–and to accomplish.  Ever increasingly I have come to recognize, as I write, that these two books, taken together, allow me to reflect on, examine, and set forth my positions concerning everything that has proven most interesting and important to me throughout my academic career, and, even more than that, my entire life-experience.  I have thrown myself into teaching for 35 years, and I’m showing here, in my writing of these two books, what such a total immersion can teach a teacher.  I would never be doing this work without having taught these classes, and these students.  I am tremendously grateful to them–all of them.

KB: With both books, you seem to be offering an explanation and an example of how critical theory doesn’t have to be restricted to “academic” topics and circles, and in fact shouldn’t be. What do you think critical engagement with popular culture can teach us about ourselves and our society? In other words, what can we gain from critically engaging with popular culture?

BN: Critical engagement with popular culture is, simply put, thoughtfully appreciative engagement.   Critical theory provides us numerous concepts, methods, approaches, frameworks, and yet more besides that can help us better understand ourselves, people like and different from us, and the cultures as well as the society of which we are a part–and this enhanced understanding can enable us to make more conscious, deliberate, active, extensive, intensive, and impactful contributions to our lives, the lives of the people with whom we routinely interact, and the lives of our communities.  Critical engagement with popular culture can help us come to grips with not only how popular culture forms and constitutes us, but also how we do the same with popular culture.  

“Critical engagement enables us to recognize popular culture as site and stake of conversation, contestation, negotiation, transaction, conflict, and struggle, and to find our place and our role within all of this by figuring out what, when, where, how and why we want to contribute. ”

Critical engagement enables us to recognize popular culture as site and stake of conversation, contestation, negotiation, transaction, conflict, and struggle, and to find our place and our role within all of this by figuring out what, when, where, how and why we want to contribute.  Critical engagement with popular culture shows us that we are every bit as much concerned with the kinds of issues that celebrated philosophers and critical theorists write about, but we make use of often considerably different signs, codes, and discourses to do so.  Much of what we are concerned with, individually and collectively, is largely unconscious, or at least difficult to identify, explain, and figure out how best to which to respond, but thinking critically about how texts of popular culture address the exact same concerns that matter to and motivate us can enable us to clarify our own thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and actions, while also offering us crucial epiphanies–moments of profound discovery, revelation, and insight.   

KB: In the profile for Ian Curtis, Joy Division, and Critical Theory, you mention that you are writing it in part as a personal memoir. Do you have any thoughts on combining creative forms of writing with more academic ones? Is one part easier to write than the other?

BN: This is my first attempt at writing a memoir–even at writing a ‘part memoir’.  I have found it easier, once I got started, than I expected.  I think you need to be at the right place, and the right time, in your life, where you are ready to recall and examine your life-experience, including what has most significantly shaped and impacted this, as well as how that shaping and that impact has made you whom and what you are.  You have to be ready for honesty and vulnerability.  Since, in my own teaching, I frequently use examples drawn from personal experience, including many stories from personal experience, this is a process that is hardly unfamiliar to me.  And, since I’m always seeking ways to show students that critical theory and critical studies of popular culture are highly concrete, relevant, and urgent fields, I find it important to make those kinds of connections all the time, and to make them as blunt and telling as well as colorful and distinctive as I can, while encouraging students to make the same kinds of connections with their own identities and experiences.  Also, since I am writing both books with audiences much like students I have taught in mind as my targets it is not hard to combine the academic with the personal, since I have plenty of experience doing exactly that for exactly those kinds of audiences.

KB: Though I can multitask pretty much anything else, I’ve found my best writing is typically the result of focusing on one piece until a draft is done. How are you balancing writing two books at the same time?

BN: Well, it is certainly ambitious, and I am steadily discovering how much so as I proceed.  But I have to credit now retired former UW-Eau Claire Director of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs Karen Havholm for encouraging me to work on both books simultaneously, as she suggested this way I can always move back and forth between the two whenever I run into a block or experience fatigue writing, and working, in one direction.  In practice, I do work on one piece at a time, and work that all the way through, but having both projects in process simultaneously, as they deal with many of the same issues and concerns, but one is focused on television and the other on music, does help keep my enthusiasm persistently strong.  I have been doing well; since August 1, 2020 I have written 450+ single-spaced typed pages of material, and I have read and taken notes on more books and articles than I could possibly estimate, while doing a huge amount of screening and listening too.  I’ve been enjoying it, even as it has proven fairly all-consuming.