ILLUMINATION Writers

Interview with Jeff Hanlon

Featuring creative writers of ILLUMINATION

Purpose of the Story

In this story, I share with you an interview that I conducted with Jeff Hanlon. I met Jeff recently on ILLUMINATION.

As a new writer, Jeff quickly gained visibility and recognition from your writers and readers due to his fascinating stories and active engagement on our collaboration tool Slack.

Let’s discover his fascinating life story in this interview.

Tell us a bit about your background, Jeff.

I was born in a SoCal beach community, which may explain my lifelong attraction to all things sand and sea. When I was eight years old my family bought a ranch in Oregon and we moved there. How exciting! Tractors! Trucks! Cows! It was remote, atop a small mountain, end of the gravel road.

I was the student farthest from school — 22 miles. The school bus got within a mile and a half of our home. Three hours a day on that bus. I don’t much ride busses anymore.

I attended four fairly prestigious colleges, graduated from none of them (although I did almost accidentally burn a dorm to the ground — long story). I was too impatient to make my way out in the ‘real world’.

Why do you write on Medium?

To have people read my stuff. And to support other writers.

What are your values as a writer?

Well, not really sure how to answer this. I guess it’s to write something literate, entertaining, and informative.

What are the top three books that affected your life?

I’m going to tweak your question just a bit because I think I can better answer in terms of authors. . .

John Fowles: The Magus, because it revealed to me just how amazing storytelling can be. And his The Aristos, nonfiction, which is the most challenging book I’ve ever read. (I have a mint condition first edition of The Aristos that I won’t let anyone touch unless they are serious-minded.)

Walker Percy: A supremely gifted writer, storyteller, and philosopher. He wrote often about the dislocation of man in the modern age.

Kurt Vonnegut: Before I sing the praises of Mr. Vonnegut, indulge me in reminiscing about Earnest Hemingway (who should also be on this list). When I was in one of my four colleges I had to write an essay on the ‘Hemingway Style’. My essay was basically this: PFFFT! Style?? What style?? Hemingway has no style!

Okay, so I was an idiot (about many other things as well). Of course Hemingway had a style: SIMPLICITY. And for its time that was groundbreaking, a challenge to all the florid storytelling — those who wrote to impress their readers with their language gymnastics rather than with the story. Vonnegut took that simplicity to its extreme, and it was breathtaking.

And I was always drawn to the debate Vonnegut had with himself in his books. Free will or fate? Is there a supreme being? Is society so self-destructive that it is doomed? Are individuals inherently good, living in a bad world? And all those questions were asked with audacious humor.

What are your hobbies?

Howzabout this? I’ll just list a few of my favorite things (cue Julie Andrews) which are also, I guess, hobbies: Cats; Getting drenched in a tropical thunderstorm; island hopping; scientifically guesstimating the exact number of seconds it will take my microwave to de-freeze any size or brand of ice cream until it reaches that perfectly delectable temperature; Oh, and did I mention cats?

How do you connect with your readers?

By reading their writing.

Why did you join ILLUMINATION and how do you find it so far?

When I was a teenager my mother showed me my very first writing, done when I was seven years old. It was a miniature bound book, illustrated by me. It was titled Pond Scum (true story) and so ILLUMINATION was my destiny.

I like experimenting with eclectic styles of writing, and ILLUMINATION seems the best Publication for that. And I’ve been very pleased with the way ILLUMINATION has given me an audience for that.

Who are the top ten writers you follow on ILLUMINATION?

Yeah, I knew this was coming, and I approach it with the same trepidation as others you’ve interviewed. The list is limited to ten (except for that incorrigible rebel P.G. Barnett who cheated) and therefore this list is woefully incomplete. But here goes, in no particular order . . . Stacey Curran, Roz Warren, R Tsambounieri Talarantas, Thomas Plummer, Joe Luca, P.G. Barnett, Bev Potter, Tony Young, Jr., Suzanne V. Tanner, I’d have added Kevin Buddaeus except he’s just way too much of a smartass. Oh, and this guy, Dr Mehmet Yildiz, who I see around every now and then.

What are your top five stories that you want to share with your audience and why?

Not exactly sure why. Just faves.

What are the success factors for you as a writer on Medium?

Not sure how to define ‘success’ here. People read my stuff. To me, that’s success. I’m not interested in the stats game or seeing how many followers I can accumulate.

What do you recommend to the new writers on ILLUMINATION?

Write.

What are your future plans as a writer?

Write.

Thank you for your time for this insightful interview Jeff. I look forward to reading more stories from your creative pen. Your contribution to our publication is appreciated by our writers and readers. You are an inspirational writer and editor on ILLUMINATION. We enjoy your engaging, informative, and authentic content.

If you are a writer on ILLUMINATION and would like to be interviewed, please send a request via this link with the title of “Interview Request”.

Other Interviews

You may also check other interviews I conducted with inspiring writers of ILLUMINATION recently. These stories can provide a great opportunity to know more about our creative writers and connect with them.

Timothy Key

Desiree Driesenaar

Holly Jahangiri

Dr John Rose

Ming Qian

P.G. Barnett

Jill Ebstein

Bill Abbate

Terry Mansfield

Ann K Frailey

Woei T

Charles Roast

Julia E Hubbel

Aric D Mayer

Chris Hedges

Paroma Sen

Besom & Bletherskite

Kevin Buddaeus

You might check more interviews in the attached collection.

You can find inspiring profiles of ILLUMINATION writers from this story.

Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.

About the Author

Thank you for subscribing to my content. I share my health and well-being stories in my publication, Euphoria. If you are new to Medium, you may join by following this link. A small part of your membership fee will not only support my writing but your reading times can support many great writers on this platform.

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