Age: 68
Location: San Francisco
Well, life surprises us. I never took college courses in writing or even kept a journal; and I enjoyed success as a market researcher. But a few months after my mother's death, in 2009, a NYC friend became ill (I was her healthcare proxy, but I lived in Philly.) I wrote a number of short pieces and read them over the phone to her; and those became my first publications.
Once I started writing, I could not stop. Plus, I liked getting the work published (which some people fear.) My husband's death in late 2018 steered my writing in a different direction which led me to my novella "The Looking Glass" as well as poetry.
As far as age: many authors like Penelope Fitzgerald blossomed after 60. When I was younger, honestly, I didn't have much to say.
This year, the great beat poet Diane di Prima died. For years, di Prima was overshadowed by Ginsberg and the guys, but happily people are discovering her. The directness combined with her sophistication...I feel like she's talking to me. This poem is great, and here is another favorite. City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco keeps her work in print, and this book's a gem.
Scottish landscape artist Joan Eardley is a current obsession. She died young, but slowly her work has gained an international reputation. She's got this uncanny palette that lends her images a freshness. Read this about her!
I’m excited to see two of my books published in 2022. One, my comic novel, A Closet Feminist comes out in February, and it shows my funny side. And the other, my first full-length collection of poetry, "She Has Visions" is slated for November. I hope life's open enough so I can do readings. (And oh, maybe move from SF.)
Yup, I have a bias against the current trend toward present tense in literary fiction. It just feels mannered.
Take your pick:
I don't see life that way, so no. Well...maybe the orange Patrick Kelly dress I didn't buy.
I use one oil for my hands, body, nails, face, and hair. I use it to clean my face too. Since I am allergic to most stuff, it's a godsend!
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