Emily Vieweg was the Guest Judge for the Macabre & Morbid Chapter
Biography
Emily Vieweg is a poet/writer living in Fargo, ND, USA. MFA Poetry 2015. Her first poetry collection is alive thru Finishing Line Press. When she grows up, Emily wants to be the crazy-cat-witch-lady in the house at the end of the road.
BAM: Emily, where are you located?
Emily: Fargo, ND, USA
BAM: Oh, Fargo, huh? Y'all get some heavy winters. So, where is your writing space?
Emily: Wherever I am inspired – sometimes, while I’m driving, I see or hear something and grab my phone (after pulling over, of course), and hit “record”. . . I revisit the recordings later to get the ideas down.
BAM: Okay. Now for some icebreaker questions. What are some of your favorite foods?
Emily: Chicken Parmesan with mozzarella. Imo's Pizza (St Louis, MO)
BAM: That used to be my favorite, too. Now, I'm all about healthy foods, but I might make some for my next reward meal. Thanks for reminding me of the nostalgic taste. How about movies?
Emily: ET the Extra Terrestrial, Up, and Inside Out 1 & 2.
BAM: From classic to modern. What about a favorite mountain?
Emily: The only mountain I've been on is Mt. Wachusett in Massachusetts, USA. My sister and I called it "Snuffy Mountain" because it reminded us of Mr. Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street.
BAM: Mr. Snuffleupagus was my favorite as a kid. It was a shock when my brother told me they'd removed him because he creeped children out. Snuffy was not creepy. Okay, let's get into book talk. Name some books you read recently.
Emily: I read "One Second After" for a class this summer, while also listening to the audiobook. It was fascinating reading as a student, then reading as a writer.
BAM: Will have to add that to my reading list. So, what got you into writing?
Emily: My first favorite author was Dr. Seuss. He played with words, created characters, created words! "The Sneetches and Other Stories" was one of my favorite books as a child.
BAM: Yeah, Dr. Seuss is way underrated these days. And the oddest part is few people even say "Seuss" correctly. On Writing. Do you play music in the background when you write?
Emily: I do listen to music, but it has to be music that has never been in a film, otherwise I will "see" the movie instead of seeing the poem.
BAM: Makes sense. It might be impossible to listen to something such as "Going the Distance" by Bill Conti without thinking of Rocky's 14th round fight. Speaking of fights. Writing can often feel that way. But our achievements make them worth the hassle. That said, what’s the greatest writing award you hope to win?
Emily: I really want to get a Guggenheim Fellowship. I made it through two rounds one time, but had to take a step back from writing for a while to focus on my day jobs.
BAM: Hopefully you get it. You can close. Work can create writers block in a way. How do you overcome it?
Emily: I just don't write for a while. Some people say that you need to write every day - it's not practical for all of us . . . I write when I am inspired - sometimes if I haven't written anything in a long while, I'll do a freewriting exercise in the middle of a park to get things going; or I'll take a writing workshop to get more ideas started.
BAM: Interesting. Sometimes, going to our roots can help us overcome writer's block, too. What was the first story you ever wrote about?
Emily: I wrote my first short story at age 9. "The Truth About Santa Claus" I wrote it in a spiral notebook back in the early 1980s ... it's somewhere in my parents' basement.
BAM: I'm sure they're proud to have it. Emily, thank you for your time. Would you like to include a personal message to the authors of the chapter that
you read?
Emily: I am fascinated with morbid and sci-fi storytelling - creating new and strange worlds - fascinating that it can happen in 42 words.
Social Media
https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/but-the-flames-by-emily-vieweg/
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