Q&A with Virginia Grove, 2011 Norris Church Mailer Award winner

Each year, a Wilkes creative writing graduate student demonstrating artistic promise is awarded the Norris Church Mailer Award. For 2011, that student is Virginia Grove. Here’s what Virginia had to say in a recent Q&A: 

Congratulations, Virginia! You must be pleased about the win. When and how did you receive the news?

I can’t say I do anything the traditional way, and receiving the news wasn’t an exception. Having opted to take an extra semester to work on my analytical paper, I didn’t attend the June residency. I arrived home banquet-night Friday to hear a message on my machine asking if I was coming to the banquet. By that time, the banquet had already started. Later that same evening a few cryptic messages started appearing on my Facebook page, letting me know it might be a good idea to reach out to the program director and that “I really, really, should have been at this particular residency.” The messages, coupled with the phone message, caused me to worry I had done something wrong so Monday morning I rattled off a note of apology to our program director, Bonnie Culver. Later that evening, my mentor left me a message and after a short-lived round of phone tag, she let me know I had been awarded the 2011 Norris Church Mailer Scholarship. Unfortunately, we both missed the banquet and so we both missed the presentation of the award. I am truly, truly humbled to have been nominated and awarded the scholarship. Norris was and remains a true friend to the program and a mentor to all writers. She ultimately gave herself permission to follow her passion and to be passionate about that passion– what a wonderful model for writers to follow.

Tell us about your time in the Wilkes creative writing program. What was your capstone project and at what stage in the process is it now?

I am doing additional revisions to my capstone now and plan to take advantage of having another professional reading on the manuscript by the end of the program. I love the revision process more than the writing, even. BREAK tells the story of my search for identity in the pieces of life from the moment I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease. Through a collage of writing—grocery lists, poetry, dreams, and medical records, to name a few— I examine my past, my present, and my future as I navigate diagnosis and chemotherapy treatment and their effects on a self already broken. I come to see life as a frame into which pieces are placed creating the self-portrait each person adds to the collection of humanity.

Who did you work with and what did you learn most from your mentor?

I am so lucky to still be working with Christine Gelineau. When I initially began to pitch my capstone idea to the faculty in search of a mentor, it was Christine who seemed most excited and most involved in the idea… perhaps even more than I was. In tweaking the idea, she encouraged me to shoot for the bigger plans and she has continued to do so. 

Christine has taught me many, many things–some purely academic, some truly life-giving. With saintly patience, she has guided me through the process by being simultaneously involved and distant. The distance is what allowed me to begin to trust in my own abilities… in my own style. She has brought me back from the bridge of self-criticism more than once. Without her guidance, I know the capstone wouldn’t have made it even this far because what she has taught me most is that people do believe in my abilities whether, as a chronic self-doubter, I can believe in those abilities or not, myself. 

Think to way back when you first showed up on campus for your very first residency. Looking back on those initial days and thinking about your entire grad student experience, what advice might you offer to incoming students? Any tips for succeeding in the program?

This question could be a capstone in and of itself! Seriously though, there are so many tips and pieces of advice to share but I think, when boiled down, they all revolve around two ideas. (1) Be a part of the community– this means take advantage of the talent, experience, and drive of the faculty, your cohort, the program community, and be active in your own community as a writer. (2) Understand that sometimes moving forward is about standing still and be flexible with that understanding– when you end up frozen from so-called writer’s block or self doubt or if life decides it is going to get in the way of your pursuit of a degree, believe you will start again because you never stopped. When you are passionate about something, as I am about writing, sometimes the biggest steps forward come when it looks like you aren’t producing… when it’s all in your head and heart.

What are you working on now? 

Other than the analytical paper and further revisions to my capstone, I am always writing poetry. As a matter of fact, I had a chance to work with a great group of high school students late last month at Misericordia University’s Literature Camp where a fresh set of writers refueled my creative tank… especially the one filled with poems. Otherwise, I am tossing around a ton of ideas. I’m always brainstorming. I am a chronic over-thinker. I have a children’s book rumbling around in my brain and really want to take a stab at writing a play. 

There are opportunities on the horizon–some closer than that even–and I am both excited and terrified by the prospects. I am scheduled to teach my first class at Misericordia University this Fall semester, so I am actively working now preparing a syllabus and reading. 

***

Congratulations and thanks to Virginia Grove for taking the time to chat with us!

Photo Credits:
Norris Church Mailer — Photo by Christina Pabst, NYTimes
Christine Gelineau and Virginia Grove – Thanks to Ginny’s Facebook

Interview with author John Donohue

During our most recent residency, one of the dominant tips shared by authors, producers, and editors was that physical activity is not only great for the body but also for the mind of writers. Whether it’s to clear our minds and set the tone for the day by taking a creative walk or unwinding with yoga after a long day of editing and revising, physical activity can not only keep our blood but also our creative juices flowing.

One writer who takes the body and mind challenge to heart is John Donohue, author of the award-winning Connor Burke martial art thrillers Sensei, Deshi, and Tengu. An anthropologist who researches and trains in the martial arts, Donohue is associate editor for the Journal of Asian Martial Arts and member of the advisory board for the National Association of Professional Martial Artists. A black belt in karate and kendo, and a faculty member of the Albertus Magnus MFA program, Donohue resides near New Haven, Connecticut.

Donohue has just released his latest novel, Kage: The Shadow. Here’s a brief synopsis of the latest Connor Burke adventure:

In the withered and unforgiving landscape of the American southwest, Connor Burke must pierce the cloud of mystery surrounding the death of notorious ‘mystic’ and best-selling author Elliot Westmann. Hired by the deceased’s estranged daughter, Burke discovers that Westmann’s unfinished manuscripts may contain cryptic details that local border smugglers might kill to keep secret. As Burke digs deeper, facts get convoluted and events get downright dangerous. He soon realizes that he is in way over his head. His only hope is to take matters into his own hands, using his fighting skills and the aid and guidance of his warrior teacher Yamashita.

Here in this Q&A, John chats about his love of martial arts and the balance it provides for him in his writing life:

John, your involvement in martial arts has fed your creative life in many ways. Not only is your Connor Burke series centered on martial arts, but you’ve also credited the sport for developing discipline and persistence. How else has martial arts contributed to your writing life?

Much of the training in the martial arts stresses practice, repetition and the virtues of deferred gratification. The techniques involved are built on the rudiments of human movement, but refined and combined in a way that ultimately (hopefully) leads to a type of elegance.

It strikes me that writing is very much the same type of endeavor—one built on the mastery of rudimentary skills that are then combined to create (once again, hopefully) something of beauty.

Another important lesson learned from the martial arts is that you’re not always going to get it right. You’re going to make mistakes or fail. In sparring, you’re going to get beaten. But that doesn’t mean that you don’t keep at it. I often come across writers I teach who are almost paralyzed with fear—fear that they won’t get it right, fear of criticism. It’s good that they care so much about writing, but if that care keeps you from writing, you need to let that fear go. It’s like crossing swords with an opponent in kendo—if you worry about getting hit (because you will get hit, it’s the way it works) it just makes things worse. So when talking with students about writing, I laughingly use myself as an example and say that while I take my craft seriously I also abide by the motto that “hey, it ain’t Shakespeare.” It’s very liberating.

Do you have a set regime or daily routine? Do you work out and then write or vice versa? What do you find most helpful to motivate you through the day?

Like most writers, I have a day job. Which means I write when I can.  Quite often, I spend the middle part of the weekend writing. When I’m on a real roll, I’ll steal away in the evening to do a bit as well.

I do try to get a daily workout in—even if it’s just a long walk in the woods. I find that I can focus a bit on my writing when I’m walking or running or on the elliptical machine. While the body is chugging along, my mind is free to focus on the latest knotty problem or great idea in the writing project I’m working on.

As for motivation, I’m a big believer in “chunking it”: I break things down into manageable chunks—goals to achieve–and try to do that. Otherwise the prospect of writing a book seems daunting. I also keep an Excel spreadsheet tally of chapters, words, and pages completed. Every time I finish a chapter I enter it in and the spreadsheet shows me my progress. Silly, but I like it.

Some writers find it hard to break away from the computer. What advice might you offer for those of us who are a little more, um, ‘sedentary’ in our writing lives?

It’s easy to get lost in the writing process—after all we create little worlds with our words and enjoy exploring these worlds. But we still have to live in the real world. And being more active means that you can enjoy this world a little bit more (and perhaps a little bit longer).  Plus, I find that I’m more focused when I’m fit. The time I take away from the keyboard doesn’t detract from my writing. It actually helps me work through things. Then I can come back to the desk and get going again.

And you don’t need to sign up for the Ironman contest. A nice walk is a good way to start. How hard is that? If you’re really obsessive about writing, bring a friend or significant other along—you can bore them to tears as you talk about your project.

Does nutrition also play a role in your writing life? Or, when no one is looking, do you snack on fast food? Come on. You must have some ‘bad’ habits, right?

I am abundantly supplied with bad habits, nutritional and otherwise. But interestingly enough, I don’t usually eat or drink much of anything when writing. I occasionally brew up some coffee, but it almost always sits there and gets cold. Because when I’m writing, I’m writing.

Speaking of discipline, how do you balance your writing and teaching? You’re very prolific, yet you devote much of your time to student writers. Does the one activity feed the other? How so?

For me, teaching is a real treat. I spend much of my time at administrative duties at my college, so being able to walk into the classroom in the MFA program is like a holiday. I enjoy talking with student writers, of exploring issues and problems with them. I find that, as often as not, they’re teaching me things. In addition, when I have to prepare for a class, I need to think through my ideas about writing and set them down. It often helps me to formalize ideas that have been swirling around in my head but I haven’t had time to formally express them.

Your latest book in the Connor Burke series, Kage: The Shadow, follows Burke as he discovers mysteries buried in the unfinished manuscripts of best-selling author Elliot Westmann. Do you yourself have many unfinished projects? Were they deliberately abandoned or are any of these projects ones you may return to at some point?

Like every writer, I have “the bottom drawer.” It’s the place where finished (yet unwanted) manuscripts go to die. Or to age. I have had the experience of tossing something into a drawer only to pull it out a few years later and find that a publisher is interested.

Currently I have two novels in the drawer—Wave Man, about a mob leg-breaker who develops a conscience and is trying to get out of his life, and The Qi Eaters, which is a paranormal thriller with Asian mystic overtones.

I’m working now on the next book in the Burke series, but also have at least three other novel ideas in various stages of development.

Finally, you’ve found a nice balance between teaching, writing, and staying physically active. Do you have any tips to offer emerging writers?

You’ve got to keep at it. Think less. Do more. Stop worrying—most of us aren’t going to get rich and it probably isn’t going to be Shakespeare—but it’s important. And hard. So it’s worth doing. The Japanese martial artists have a saying: “hakka yoi”—keep at it.

So that’s my advice—hakka yoi.

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Thanks, John!

Visit author John Donohue’s website here.

Read a preview and purchase Kage on amazon here.

An Interview with Patricia Harman

Patricia Harman is a mother.  She is a wife.  She is a midwife.  Now, she belongs to an elite group of writers who have written multiple memoirs.   After the success of her first memoir, The Blue Cotton Gown, a story of the babies she helped bring into the world, Harman felt a need to tell her own story.  Arms Wide Open, her newly released second memoir, is just that.

Arms Wide Open is Harman's second memoir

It is the story of how a young, hippie woman living on a self-sustainable commune, came to be an influential member of the medical community.  I reviewed Harman’s book for Hippocampus Magazine last month, and she was nice enough to grant me an interview shortly thereafter.  Here is our Q&A:

How different was the process of writing this book, compared to writing The Blue Cotton Gown?
My first memoir, The Blue Cotton Gown, didn’t start off as a memoir.  I just wanted to tell the stories of the amazing patients I met in the exam room of the OB/GYN practice I share with my husband.  Gradually, I realized I needed to tell more and I began to weave my narrative in with the patient’s.  I decided to write Arms Wide Open because readers asked me about references to living in a rural commune in the Blue Cotton Gown.  Aha! Thinks I.  That could be another book!  While The Blue Cotton Gown was written during the days that lived it, Arms Wide Open went back decades into my past.  I had the advantage of having some twenty or so journals hidden in a box in the closet, that I’d kept, but not opened, all these years.   

The first part of the book deals with your self-sustainable life in Minnesota, and the cabin in which you, Stacy, and Mica lived alone.   There were times I would almost cry for you, it sounded and felt so difficult.  Would you do it again?  What did it teach you?

I currently live in on three acres of land with a vegetable garden, woods, fruit trees, a view of the lake, and all the modern conveniences, but I do sometimes wish we lived more rurally.  Though subsisting without electricity, central heat, running water or a bathroom wasn’t fun at times, there was a simplicity and closeness to nature that I miss.   I think what I learned from those times is “Moderation in all things.”  We thought we could save the world being witnesses for a very pure life on the land, but we were so extreme it didn’t make sense to anyone.

Despite most of the book’s narrative happening at the tail end of the civil unrest of the 60’s and early 70’s, you manage to keep politics out of your story, for the most part.  Was this difficult for you?  Was that a choice you made consciously?  
In the first draft I was more political and I consciously took some of that out; not because I wanted to hide my true beliefs, but because I felt it would date the book.  When you finish a manuscript, you don’t know when it will be published.  I thought, for example, if I wrote about the presidential election of 2008, the book would seem past tense by 2011.   I did mention “the wars in the middle east” and how I felt about them, but that was a safe bet! Ten years from now, they will probably still be fighting.  I also made it clear we believe that war isn’t the solution to the division of the world’s precious resources.  I tried not to get on a soapbox and be preachy about the environment or to sound like I was giving a lecture.

In Arms Wide Open, you talk a lot about natural childbirth.  Do you still embrace that concept so strongly?  Why do you think there has been a return to those ideals as of late?

Harman during her "hippie" days

I embrace the idea of natural childbirth more strongly than ever.  I don’t think everyone has to have their baby at home, but as much as possible, I would want for women and their partners to experience birth as it was meant to be, a simple, transcendent experience.  Technology and medical malpractice lawyers have taken something precious away from us.  Birth should be a feminist issue again and I think that is starting, partly because the C/Section rate in the United States is so out of control.  33%.  That’s right.  1 out of 3 women now have their baby born by major abdominal surgery.  Not the way things should be…..Don’t get me started!

Since you are a politically minded person, I’d love to ask your opinion on healthcare.  Are we heading down the right road?  Is universal healthcare attainable?  And should it be?

The health care system in the US is in very bad shape.  This year the Health Insurance Industry has made record profits as patients postpone surgeries because they can’t afford their big deductibles.  Then there are the 46 million Americans with no health insurance at all. This, in the richest nation in the world.

We have a summer cottage in Canada and we get to know the locals up there and have learned so much about their national healthcare system.  We are definitely supporters of some kind of universal health insurance in the US.  It’s the strength of the insurance industry and the pharmaceutical companies that make reform difficult.  Their propaganda have the American public so terrified of change, that even if it would benefit them, people vote against it.

Little by little, I believe things will get better.  In the recent health care reform bill, just having young adults able to stay on their parent’s insurance plans until they are 26 is a help and there are other benefits to children.  They can’t be denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions anymore.  The Children’s Health Insurance Program (Chip) was extended and all health insurance plans must now provide immunizations and other preventive care for kids.

Finally, you belong to a small group of writers who have written two or more memoirs, will you do it again?  Is there more you’d like to share with your fans? 

Patricia "Patsy" Harman

Currently, I decided to stop milking my own life for stories before readers get sick of me.  I’m working on a novel, set in the Great Depression in West Virginia.  The heroine is an inexperienced midwife, a former suffragette and union radical, on the run, hiding out in the mountains.  I imagine I will write about myself again, someday.  I still have all those journals in the box and have had adventures that astound even me.

**Arms Wide Open is available now on Amazon, or through your local independent bookseller.  For more on Patricia Harman, please visit her website.