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. Read on and check out the Second Chances reprints special for "Quinquaginta Sex" from Riley Winchester.



Who or what inspires your work generally?
My nonfiction is typically inspired by whatever I’ve been thinking about lately. I believe that if you want a rudimentary understanding of a subject, you should read about it; but if you want a deeper, more meaningful understanding of a subject, you should write about it. The simple exercise of organizing your thoughts on paper (or in a digital document) can reveal a lot about not only the subject you’re examining but also yourself. The little bit of fiction I write is inspired by situations or characters I find amusing. It could be something I observe myself, or a story someone tells me. I usually zero in on a couple details that attract me the most and then construct a story around them.


Who are some of your favorite writers, and what do you like about them?
Kurt Vonnegut and Joan Didion are my favorite writers. There are very few writers who can tackle big philosophical issues with plain language and humor, and in my opinion Vonnegut was the best at it (Peter De Vries was also great, and it’s a shame he’s mostly forgotten today). With Didion, I’m so drawn to her voice. I think it’s one of the strongest and most unique voices of the twentieth century. You can blind-read one or two sentences of Didion and immediately know it’s her writing.

My favorite living writer is Mike Nagel, the author of Duplex and Culdesac from Autofocus Books. There are shades of Vonnegut and Didion in Nagel’s writing, which is probably why I like it so much. Nagel also has an incredible ability to take a nondescript, everyday event or situation and flip it into a meditation that’s equal parts profound and hilarious. His essays sometimes feel like a comedian riffing on a subject, exploring it further, finding connections along the way, and tightly bundling it all together in the end. In simpler terms, he writes essays that I wish I could write.


What is your #1 advice for other writers?
At a craft level, my best piece of advice would be to seek advice from writers who are smarter and more talented than me. On Writing Well by William Zinsser and Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott are great starting points. Zinsser’s book, for my money, is the best craft book out there that’s applicable to all genres of writing—nonfiction, fiction, poetry, drama, technical, etc. I think it should be required reading for all English-speaking adults, even if all you write are emails and text messages.


What is your creative process? Do you plan pieces out or let them happen as they come?
It changes with every project. Sometimes I spend a lot of time researching and planning things out, other times I start with a blank page and get to work and hope everything falls into place along the way. I prefer the latter approach. Too much plotting and planning can hinder the writing process. Oftentimes it’s better to get it all out there and sort the mess later.