Râna Campbell won the Story of Excellence Award in the Utopia/Dystopia chapter
for
PUTTING ON A GLOVE
IN AN EMPTY PARKING LOT
BAM: What pen names did you use in the anthology?
Râna: Álfdís Regnbogadóttir, Poppy Seed, and Quiet Riot.
BAM: Where are you now?
Râna: Montreal, Canada
BAM: Where is your writing space?
Râna: Home, sometimes a library, mostly at a desk and sometimes in bed.
BAM: Whether writers notice or not, many of them send a message they are passionate about to their readers in a subtle way. Is there something you passionately want the human race to stop doing, which might appear in your writing??
Râna: Yes. I would love for us all to stop eating what we’re fed by
governments, the mainstream media, and the economic elite. Illusions are only
as powerful as the credence we give them.
BAM: Totally agree. People should really research topics before believing what the media and government claims. Very often, someone wants to get rich and sway you to their side, even when their side is wrong. That's why I really like Dan Brown's early work. He takes what we think we know and makes the reader think, maybe I don't know the truth? I recently reread the Di Vinci Code. That said, what are some books you read recently?
Râna:
Salt: A World
History by Mark Kurlansky
The Political Space
of Anarchy: Outlines for a Political Philosophy of Anarchism by Eduardo Colombo
Out of the Sun: On
Race and Storytelling by Esi Edugyan
The House of
Belonging by David Whyte
Wilderness Tips by
Margaret Atwood
BAM: I'll check them out. Is anyone in your family a writer?
Râna: Yes, my mother is a writer. Aside from having done a stint as a
freelance journalist, she’s published a memoir and a collection of short works.
BAM: Definitely reading both soon. Let's talk about editing. Do you edit alone, have a friend read your work, or do you hire a professional editor?
Râna: Conveniently, I am a professional editor, so I edit alone.
However, I do have people in my surroundings read and critique my work.
BAM: I often hire freelance editors and will keep you in mind. Based on your writing, I'll bet you're a wonderful editor. Speaking of your craft, what inspires you
to write?
Râna: I’m inspired by real life, the liminal spaces between subjective
experience and objective reality, and the emotional textures throughout. My
mother, who was the first person to recognize my abilities, continues to
inspire and encourage me. I’m also inspired by the fact that writing has the
power to give faces and voices to so many people, life forms, phenomena, and
experiences out there in the world that might otherwise be overlooked. I see
writing as an opportunity to slow down and zoom in on life, to contemplate,
critique, and savor its every detail, from the mundane to the extraordinary to
the troubling—and to share this with readers, who I think are in some way
seeking themselves.
BAM: Well said. Râna, if you could inspire thousands of writers in 42 words, what would you
write?
Râna: Everywhere you look, there’s a story to be told, and you
may be the only person to tell it. Keep open eyes, ears, mind, and heart—often,
your story will choose you, and it’ll be up to you to reveal its truth.
Biography:
Râna holds a BA in philosophy and liberal arts and an
MRM in marine and coastal management, with a specialization in cultural
resources. She has published independent sociocultural research and some
microfiction, and has recently begun receiving attention in flash fiction
contests.
Social Media:
https://fiftywordstories.com/2024/03/20/rana-campbell-solarkaffi/
https://medium.com/@bellaprunella
https://rana12746.wixsite.com/website-1
https://bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journals/gd/10/1/article-p119.xml
https://www.shs-conferences.org/articles/shsconf/pdf/2014/09/shsconf_4ictr2014_01046.pdf
https://www.linkedin.com/in/r%C3%A2na-c-41804067/
No comments:
Post a Comment