We love learning more about our contributors, and an interview seemed like a fun way to hear more about the writers and artists we publish, so we gave them a choice of questions to answer. We hope you also enjoy hearing more about the artists and their works. Check out Issue #27 for work from Jennifer Hykes and more.


What was the inspiration for the piece published in the issue? 
This piece actually came from a writing exercise I was doing with a friend. The prompt was “shame about that,” and I had a lot of fun (as I often do) writing a short scene that gets progressively weirder.

Who or what inspires your work generally?
I’m a very visual thinker, so I’m often inspired by evocative images that imply a story behind them:  a photo, an illustration, sometimes even an image from a dream. And if something doesn’t prompt a story by itself, I throw it into my ‘mental stewpot’ and see how all these images and ideas bounce off each other.

What is your #1 advice for other writers or artists?
Play. Have fun. Make a mess in your medium. Especially in the beginning, you’re gonna create a lot of bad and middling stuff, but that’s all practice that forms a road to the good stuff. Keep going.

What is your creative process? Do you plan pieces out or let them happen as they come?
I’m definitely a ‘pantser,’ throwing an idea onto the page and seeing where it goes. I love discovering the world of the story as I write.  As the story progresses and I start to get an idea of where it’s going, then I might start throwing together a plan or rough outline, especially with longer works that have a lot of moving parts.