Over the course of the winter 2010 edition of S.W.A.T., we're posting brief interviews with each of our participating Writers-in-Residence. We want to give all of you a chance to get to know the amazing people who work so hard to make the S.W.A.T. program a success!
Today we present the third of our twelve writer interviews - with the astonishing Angela Szczepanak!
Angela describes herself as having been a student nearly forever; a condition that has most recently landed her neckdeep in a doctoral dissertation on innovative poetry, dysfunctional detective fiction, and comic books. She also writes fiction, poetry, cartoons, and critical essays, and works as a poetry editor for Redwood Coast Press (California). One of her early career highlights was participating in LOCCAL’s first hygiene themed poetry-art project—traces of her visual poetry may still be found on placards in some of the finest public restrooms in Seattle. Her first book is a novel-in-poems, called Unisex Love Poems (DC Books). Eventually forthcoming will be her typeface-cartoon extravaganza, The QWERTY Institute of Cosmetic Typographical Enhancement. Angela Szczepaniak is the S.W.A.T. Writer-in-Residence for Michael Power/St. Joseph.
Our Q & A with Angela Szczepaniak… after the jump!
NHT!: What inspired you to become a writer?
Angela Szczepaniak: I love language and telling stories. In my mind words are like Play Doh—endlessly bendable, shapeable…. It’s a lot of fun for me to play with words. Plus, I lied constantly as a kid—to sort of test the limits of what would be believable or just to see what kind of reactions different lies/stories would get. Being a writer seemed like the best way to get to do that all the time.
NHT!: What was your favourite book when you were 15?
AS: Hard to pick just one! I was really into Endgame and Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett, and a lot of apocalypse fiction (things like “Boy and His Dog”). And anything by Dashiell Hammett. I was a bit of a downer back then.
NHT!: What recently published book do you wish you could have read when you were 15?
AS: George Sprott (1894-1975) by Seth.
NHT!: What book(s) are you reading right now?
AS: A lot of Chris Ware comics, mainly. And I’m pretty excited about Daniel Clowes and Seth too. I also read a lot of philosophy and medical texts, and books about movies and comics.
NHT!: What are you writing right now?
AS: A series of typeface cartoons; two novellas with pictures; and a novel (which won’t be finished for a long long time) about a private detective and a lounge singer, that has a cello soundtrack.
NHT!: Where is your favourite place to write?
AS: I like to write in public—cafés mainly. Anywhere warm will do.
NHT!: Do you do a lot of research when you’re writing fiction or poetry?
AS: Yes, I do a ton of research to write anything. I love to learn new things when I write—for my first book, I learned how to draw anatomical organs; how to cook a bunch of medieval and Victorian recipes; how etiquette and behaviour was taught and thought of in different historical times…. For the novel that will take forever to finish, I’m learning how to play the cello, and have been reading about its history.
NHT!: Do you write with an audience in mind or just for yourself?
AS: It’s hard to imagine who will be reading my stuff while I’m writing it, so I don’t think of any specific type of person. But I do write specifically to interact with other people, so I try to make my writing engaging and fun—anything to provoke an unpredictable response (like how you can’t really control what you laugh at).
NHT!: What was the first thing you published and (if you don’t mind us asking) how old were you?
AS: I had a letter-to-the editor published in the local newspaper in the very small town where I grew up. I think I was about 12 or 13.
NHT!: What’s the best advice you received as a young writer?
AS: To write! Even if it’s not very good, keep doing it if I enjoyed it. I was also encouraged to be outrageous—to try to put as much of my personality in my writing as possible, and not to worry about whether people would like it or not.
NHT!: What advice do you have for young writers who are trying to get published?
AS: Write, write, write! Look for journals that publish the kind of writing you like to read, and submit to them. If you can’t find any, make your own!
Look out for our next writer interview with Devon Code. It will be posted to the NOW HEAR THIS! blog on Thursday, March 11!
