An Interview with Ruvanee Pietersz Vilhauer

Most of my interviews have been posted at Hothouse Magazine and then re-posted here. This summer I was approached by friend and writer, Ruvanee Pietersz Vilhauer, to interview her at R.kv.ry. Quarterly. Ruvanee's prose is elegant, deft, and surprising. Here is a snippet of the interview.

Karin C. Davidson:  Ruvanee, your story, “Craving,” is such a complicated and careful look at intimacy and, in a very restrained way, of sexuality. Sexuality is the theme of r.kv.r.y.’s Summer 2013 issue, and so I love that your story is included here. Would you speak about the origins of this story, how you came to write of this couple, exhausted and overwhelmed by their responsibilities of caring for the elderly, blessed and later unblessed by the presence of the young woman who comes to help them?

Ruvanee Pietersz Vilhauer: This story was influenced by an essay I had recently written, about an elderly relative’s struggle with dementia, but it arose primarily from my feeling exhausted by a set of administrative tasks at work—that had nothing to do with caring for the elderly—and wondering about the very human tendency to want an easy way out, and about the value of service and sacrifice. The idea of sacrifice—with its many negative as well as positive connotations—interests me; it is a theme I explore elsewhere as well.

KCD: “On the day Ivy Auntie went missing, Sriya Polgoda wished, once again, for more help.” This is the first line of “Craving,” an incredible first line in that it is deftly worded, each part so very simple, yet pointing straight into the conflict and the story’s heart. When you begin stories, do the drafted first lines lead you directly into the rest of the narrative, or do you find those intricate beginnings through revision?

RPV: Thank you for the kind words, Karin. There have been occasions when I’ve labored over first lines, revising wording and even the point at which a story begins. Most of the time, though, first lines come to me almost fully formed. Beginnings are much easier for me than endings, with which I struggle, revising over and over until I feel they are right.

Read the complete interview at rkvryquarterly.com/interview-with-ruvanee-pietersz-vilhauer/.

The Poppy Becomes a Hothouse Flower

THE POPPY: AN INTERVIEW SERIES is moving to a big, bright venue. I've been invited to write a regular interview series at NEWFOUND JOURNAL's Arts section of their blog, HOTHOUSE. After a few AWP posts for HOTHOUSE, written during the adrenalin days of the conference, I'm looking forward to the more relaxed momentum of the interviews. The series will continue on a regular schedule, and I'll repost here at Thunder on a Thursday.

The first interview at HOTHOUSE  for "The Poppy" will be with Yolanda J. Franklin.  Poet, teacher, PhD candidate, and third generation, north Florida native. And in early April, I will post an interview with the Vietnamese-American journalist/essayist/short story writer, Andrew Lam.

As NEWFOUND's mission states, the journal is interested in place, from many perspectives. I'm looking forward to this new adventure, one in which "The Poppy" will transition into a "Hothouse flower."

Newfound Journal is a literary and visual arts publication that features fiction, poetry, nonfiction, visual art, reviews, and more. Our work explores how place shapes identity, imagination, and understanding.

At Newfound, our mission is to foster greater awareness of our environment through the arts, events, and cultural inquiry. We believe that a richer experience of place—human-made, natural, conceptual, or otherwise—is essential in understanding ourselves and our world. Newfound is passionate about positively transforming how we relate to our habitats and bringing about better stewardship of our homes, neighborhoods, communities, cities, nations, and the globalized world at large.

Hothouse Magazine is a views and opinions magazine. Our mission is to foster greater awareness of the spaces we occupy, informed by culture, science, gender, the arts, and more. We contribute to public discussion of hot topics and newsworthy stories (current, contemporary, and cultural). We also publish content that provides resources to improve our reading community’s relationship within their environments.

AWP13: Hothouse Interview with Natalie Young of Sugar House Review

Natalie Young is a poet, graphic artist, and an editor for Sugar House Review. She’s a Utah girl, down to earth, whimsical, creative, compassionate, with a genuine and sly sense of humor. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in “Rattle,” “Tampa Review,” “South Dakota Review,” “Tar River,” and elsewhere. 

Natalie and I both graduated from Lesley University’s MFA Program in 2009, and it has been incredible to spend time with her at AWP — her third, my first. Over lunch, we talked about the differences in her AWP experiences. Her first two times at the conference, she spent her days at the Sugar House Review table at the Bookfair. This time she has been able to attend panel presentations, readings, tributes, the keynote conversation between Seamus Heaney and Derek Walcott, and more.

I asked her three questions, short and sweet.

KARIN C. DAVIDSON: So, Natalie, how would you describe the difference of being here for Sugar House at the Bookfair and here for the events?

NATALIE YOUNG: Well, at the Bookfair, I’m here mostly as an editor. People know where to find us, and so we can meet our contributors. And as a participant, I can go to panels, visit other reviews’ tables at Bookfair, go to readings.

DAVIDSON: How has AWP influenced magazine submissions for Sugar House?

YOUNG: It has definitely increased them. There is always an influx of submissions after having the table at AWP’s Bookfair. The volume is affected, as well as the quality.

DAVIDSON: What is the importance of AWP to a small literary magazine?

YOUNG: AWP is a good marketing outlet. We get to meet people that we wouldn’t normally meet, especially since the review’s home base is in Utah. (In fact, SHR is the only independent print literary review in Utah). We also get ideas from other people, including editors and publishers. Spending time at AWP is productive in many ways. On the east coast there is a higher concentration of writers than in the west, where they are more spread out. Networking is important for a small journal.

*

This interview first posted at Hothouse Magazine.

There's a Bear in the House

A black bear from Passages North!

Bear Hug!

Cover artist, Jennifer Burton

Inside the issue - Passages North, Issue 34, Winter 2013 - are discovered madonnas and missing horses, digging girls and dirty girls, abrupt movements, dog stars, burglars, group homes, rumbas, dress codes, drive thrus, and one pink Jesus.  Some of the stories won prizes, thanks to judges like Roxane Gay and Caitlin Horrocks. 

In Traci Brimhall's Just Desserts Short-Short Fiction Prize story, "After the Flood the Captain of the Hamadryas Discovers a Madonna," there are mangoes, macaws, morphos, and "a godawful abundance of wonder."  Exquisite, powerful, poetic.

I'm quite proud of the Waasmode Prize-winning story, "We Are Here Because of a Horse," and even prouder of the daughter who once took on a yearling and threw inspiration my way.  Three cheers for daughters, horses, judges, and exceptional editors like Tim Johnston, Jennifer A. Howard, and everyone at Passages North!

White Stripes

Last week when I wasn't looking, the online magazine, Metazen, published a little bitty story I wrote a few winters ago.  Happy to be there with the many other sweet little stories!

Here's a sample of White Stripes:

Once there were twins, all dressed in double stripes, the girl lolling on pinstriped lollipops, the boy spinning his whirligig. Fair of face with long dark tresses, the girl wished for better, louder things.

Note in January 2015 : Sadly, the magazine has gone the way of many online literary gems. And so… here's hoping the story finds itself in a print collection someday.