42 Stories Anthology Presents: Lorisha Adams Interview

 

Lorisha Adams was the Story of Excellence Award Winner in the Fairy Tale chapter for

THE DIVINITY AND DEEDS OF KWAME AND KOJO

 

 

BAM: Where are you now, Lorisha?

Lorisha: Columbus, Ohio in the USA.

 

BAM: Where is your writing space?

Lorisha: Home Office.

 

BAM: What works and writers inspire you?

Lorisha:

I love literary and historical fiction; reading about different time periods is an otherworldly experience. Hiliary Mantel, Sue Monk Kidd, Toni Morrison.

 

BAM: Ah, Toni Morrison. She wrote a book called Jazz in 1992 that’s been on my to-read list for far too long. A magnificent writer, as were the others you mentioned. I appreciate their passion and unique narrative voices. Okay, before we delve into the writer that is you, Lorisha, tell me about some foods you enjoy.

Lorisha:

I love junk foods (i.e. cookies, ice cream, cake), but I’m trying to give all that up for healthier options

 

BAM: It’s hard to avoid junk food. It’s not about motivation, as some believe, but discipline and drive. I have to tell myself that it isn’t part of my plan and move forward when a donut or hamburger ad temps me. Takes a lot of willpower. How about we discuss something else before I start thinking of ice cream? Tell me about your musical preferences.

Lorisha:

I love all types of music, everything, except country, for some reason I can’t just listen to country

 

BAM: There’s always one good artist, but I hear yeah. What about cinema? What pulls you in?

Lorisha:

I like horror films and cooking shows, both are filled with messy gore that someone has to clean up.

 

BAM: You got me laughing now. I’ll envision a gory mess the next time I’m cooking. All right. Coffee or tea?

Lorisha:

Both! Coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon

 

BAM: Finally! Someone says both! Same here. So, Lorisa, tell me when did you realize you liked writing.

Lorisha:

When I first held a pencil in my hand, maybe age two? I liked the way it felt and the marks it made on the paper.

 

BAM: Poetically stated. Rhythmic in fact. By chance, while writing, do you play music?

Lorisha: Yes, music to fit the genre or just general sounds to help me focus.

 

BAM: What deceased or living writer do you want to meet?

Lorisha:

Authors bell hooks and Hilary Mantel

 

BAM: Interesting. Mantel was a Booker Prize winner in 2009 and 2012. What's the greatest writing award you hope to win?

Lorisha:

Don’t all writers hope for a Pulitzer?

 

BAM: Pulitzer’s are okay. I’d be happy with a Pushcart win, though. Tell me about your story outline process. 

Lorisha:

I guess I’m a “panster”. I don’t use an outline. The first draft is the outline. I write it out and then fix it up. I cannot outline a story from start to finish. I tried outlining a few times. Those stories never got written.

 

BAM: What you said has truth to it. The first draft is in many ways an outline, even if some writers don’t realize it. Could you tell me about how you organize writing in your life?

Lorisha:

I probably should do it more religiously. If I were getting paid for it, I would. I think that’s where writers get confused. Should I force myself to wake at 4am to write every day? Why would I if I’m not getting paid to do it? Many may disagree with me, but if you’re a paid writer you should be writing religiously. If you’re trying to get a writing job, you should be writing religiously. If you’re trying to get published, you should be writing religiously. If you are not currently on those tracks, you write as your conscience dictates.

 

Biography

Lorisha Adams lives to write and writes to live. She has a BA in Human Services and is a member of the Ohio Writers Association.

Literary Mama

https://literarymama.com/blog/archives/2017/02/writing-prompt-reader-response-13.html

 

Rigorous Magazine

https://www.rigorous-mag.com/v4i4/lorisha-adams.html

 

42 Stories Anthology Presents: Steve Gerson Interview

 

Steve Gerson won the Story of Excellence Award in Alternate Reality Chapter for THE LARK AND NOT THE NIGHTINGALE, HE SAID

 

BAM: Where are you located, Steve?

Steve: The United States in Overland Park, Kansas.

 

BAM: Never been to Kansas. Where is your writing space?

Steve: Home, handheld Smartphone.

 

BAM: Very modern. Who are some of your favorite authors?

Steve: Vonnegut (Slaughterhouse Five), Hemingway (Old Man and the Sea), Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby).

 

BAM: Got a funny story about Fitzgerald if you ever want to know it. Anyway, this is your time. Are there any artists or paintings that inspire creativity from you?

Steve: Jean Michel Basquiat, Frank Stella, Caravaggio, Larry Thomas.

 

BAM: Caravaggio. Nice. I've got Judith Beheading Holofernes handy on my computer desktop for inspiration. My house boss said that we can't have a real version of the painting displayed. Do you have any go-to foods?

Steve: Hamburgers and hotdogs.

 

BAM: Umm, I haven't had a hot dog in ten years. They're no good in Japan because they're pork. I miss American beef dogs. Please get my mind off that, Steve. What bands do you like?

Steve: REM, Willie Nelson, Buffalo Springfield.

 

BAM: All talented musicians. And that wasn't just a dream. Do you have a favorite beach?

Steve: Galveston, TX

 

BAM: Nice. As a child, often went there in the summer with friends. In fact, my first excursion as an official driver was from Houston to Galveston. Stayed in my car overnight and watched the sunrise. That beach was a great place. Where's one of your favorite places?

Steve: Santa Fe, NM

 

BAM: Cool. Favorite country?

Steve: England

 

BAM: First, Americans want out, then like it again. Can’t decide, right? What are your favorite sweets?

Steve: Macarons

 

BAM: Nice. How do you relax?

Steve: Sports

 

BAM: Right on. Take it you mean watching them. What’s the best animal on Earth?

Steve: The best animal on Earth are Elephants because they are caring, family oriented.

 

BAM: True. They also never forget. Okay, coffee or tea or something else?

Steve: Coffee

 

BAM: The stronger, the better, huh? Now let's talk about writing. Many authors, whether they realize it or not, in a subtle way send a message to readers about their beliefs. That said, is there something you passionately want the human race to stop doing, which might appear somehow in your writing?

 

Steve: Being selfishly ethnocentric

 

BAM: Wholeheartedly agree. I think it’s more of an issue with Americans, though. I don’t want to go on a rant. More people should try and understand other cultures before judging them. Tell me, what’s the best way to write?

Steve: I can write anywhere.

 

BAM: What's your greatest achievement in writing?

Steve: Co-authoring textbooks with my wife

 

BAM: Sounds fun. What got you into writing?

Steve: Inclination and education

 

BAM: Tell me more. When did you realize you liked writing?

Steve: High school

 

BAM: Around the time it becomes more important in school. Makes sense. While writing, do you play music, or watch anything?

Steve: No, I like a somewhat quiet environment

 

 

BAM: Is anyone in your family a writer?

Steve: My wife, daughter, and brother-in-law.

My brother-in-law has written over 30 history books.

 

BAM: Family of writers. What deceased or living writer do you want to meet?

Steve: Kurt Vonnegut.

 

BAM: One of my creative writing professors took a class he had taught. Apparently, Vonnegut was an amazing and memorable teacher. Also, he won so many awards. What's the greatest writing award you hope to win?

Steve: No aspirations.

 

BAM: Oh, okay. On editing, do you edit alone, have a friend read your work, or do you hire a professional editor?

Steve: My wife proofreads my work.

 

 

BAM: I’m trying to talk my fiancée into doing something like that. Feel free to email me tips on how to convince her. Okay, let’s turn a page and talk about writer's block. How do you overcome it?

Steve: I’m in the midst of a prolonged writer’s block NOW.  It’s very troubling to me. What I’m writing of late is inferior to what I’ve written in the past, in terms of topic and performance. I’ve tried to continue writing, and sometimes a few poems come out OK, but they still fail to meet my expectations. So, I’m putting myself in a self-imposed sabbatical from writing, just to let my brain calm down. We’ll see how this works.

 

BAM: Famous writers say just jot something down. It’s better to have written something than nothing. Then again, a break can lead to stronger performance later. On the other hand, I’ve heard returning to the beginning can help writer’s block. What of the way you got started? Or perhaps, could you tell me about the first story you ever got published?

Steve: My first published poem was entitled “Once planed straight.”  It is a pastoral, almost-landscape portrait of a barn that I passed by daily for about a decade. The barn, little by little, sagged into the earth. I saw it disintegrate. The barn came to represent for me a lost agricultural, small farm age. It’s still one of my favorite images. The poem came to be the title of my first book of collected poems.

 

 

BAM: Coincidentally, I read your poem here https://panoplyzine.com/once-planed-straight-steve-gerson/ Will definitely check out the book sometime. Thank you, Steve.

 

 

 

Biography:

Dr. Steve Gerson, professor emeritus, has published in CafeLit, Panoplyzine, Crack the Spine, Decadent Review, Vermilion, In Parentheses, and more, plus his chapbooks Once Planed Straight; Viral; And the Land Dreams Darkly; and The 13th Floor:  Step into Anxiety from Spartan Press.