SEPTEMBER INTERVIEW | QUESTIONS

In A Sea Of Questions

You just may get to know me

Leave it to me to answer the September’s Interview near the very end of September. And yet, here I am. Thanks Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她)

[1] What do you love most about the experience of writing?

Writing has always been my #1 passion in life. Writing has also been a means of catharsis for me — I use it to express myself and as therapy. However, what I love most about writing is word-play. I get excited when I can string along pearls of interesting words that dance and sing all on their own. Sometimes, I will fill up entire notebooks with word-play. I am forever grateful to one of my college professors who encouraged all of her students to play around with literary forms, exploring all the strange and beautiful connections that words can create.

[2] What’s your favourite candy?

This question is actually more difficult to answer than one would think. I am not a big candy eater — I prefer cakes and pies for my sweets. However, I do love anything with caramel in it — I guess Rolos and Milky Way candy bars tend to be my goto if I am really in the mood for candy.

[3] What’s the story behind one of your scars?

I have a jagged, vertical scar on my left knee that has been there since childhood. I was a clumsy kid and always in a hurry. When I was around the age of seven or eight, we lived in this neighborhood where huge pine trees grew along a pathway behind our house. We used this pathway as a shortcut to a small convenience store. On one particular autumn as the pine trees shed their pinecones, I remember running along that path, falling and cutting my left knee numerous times on them. Who would think that pinecones could be so sharp! I don’t think my knee actually healed completely until we moved away from that neighborhood, but those stumbles left one nasty scar.

[4] What is something you can never seem to finish?

My memoir. I’ve been working on it for quite a few years now and have had to edit it numerous times because of epiphanies and moments of personal growth. I think sometimes that my early childhood and how it affected my entire life is a story that will never get told to the masses. Perhaps it should remain a personal story.

[5] What would you do on a free afternoon in the middle of the week?

Probably what I already do — nap. However, it would be lovely to spend an afternoon reading a book — poetry or science fiction. I never seem to have time to read books anymore.

Faves?

• Favourite item in your bathroom? My set of essential oil soaking salts
• Favourite kind of pen? I am obsessed with fountain pens, but my favorite every day pen is a fine-line Uni-ball, black ink.
• Favourite sound? I don’t have just one favorite sound. The ones I love most are the cawing of ravens and crows, people’s laughter, and the soft sighs of the ocean.
• Favourite furniture store? None. Well, that’s not exactly true. I do love searching for old furniture pieces in thrift and antique stores. I am not impressed with modern furniture.
• Favourite plant? the Twisted Money Tree plant

Articles to share

• Your top piece last month — The Black Aura of August
• A piece that deserves more love — Bone and Sinew
• A piece that starts with the letter A — An Illusion of Song
• A piece that is less than 3 minutes — Evie
• A poem — Grand Canyon Mysteries

Lori Carlson writes Poetry, Fiction, Articles, Creative Non-Fiction and Personal Essays. Most of her topics are centered around Relationships, Spirituality, Life Lessons, Mental Health, Nature, Loss, Death, and the LGBTQ+ community. Check out her personal Medium blog here.