What’s your creative process like?

I find a box of condoms by the road I walk every morning. That’s a poem or a story waiting to be written. I overhear a young man in a thrift store express interest in a jigsaw puzzle, but he decides there is no way all the pieces will be in the box. That’s a poem or a story waiting to be written. Sometimes I choose a random five-year period in my life and photograph in my mind as many memories as I can dredge up from that chunk of time. I shuffle through the mental pictures, choose one, and challenge myself to write a poem or story about it. Here’s the thing…I can put my feet in the stirrups, sit in the saddle, and snap the reins, and the horse will either run or it won’t. If it runs, there’s no better ride. If it doesn’t, I dismount quickly and move on.

Who are you hoping to reach with your work? Do you have a target audience? Who would you like to inspire?

I write primarily to amuse myself, but occasionally I’ve got a bone to pick. I like to imagine that someone will read something I’ve written and say, “Hmmm, I’ve never thought of that,” or “Yeah, I’ve noticed that, too.” In hindsight, I find that much of my work involves children or teenagers, so they may be my default target audience, though it is not a conscious choice.

Give us some background on the piece you contributed to this issue.

I was privileged to grow up with access to acres of fields and forests. This uncultivated land yielded a harvest of wild fruits and nuts: from hickory nuts to blackberries, persimmons to black walnuts. My favorites were muscadines that ripened on a vine as thick as my wrist. This early experience of natural abundance has contributed to a lifelong sense of security and an expectation of promises kept. I feel the warm sun on my face, hear the buzzing of the yellowjackets, and feel the pop in my mouth as I bite down.

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