ILLUMINATION Writers

Interview with Tree Langdon

Featuring creative writers of ILLUMINATION

In this story, I share with you an interview that I conducted with Tree Langdon ♾️. It has been a pleasure for me to read stories and creative poems of Tree every day since the early days of ILLUMINATION.

Tree has a unique writing style. Her stories are well researched, sharp to the point, and rich with messages which relate to many of us. Tree conveys an optimistic and uplifting perspective in her stories. I find her stories informative, thought-provoking, inspiring, motivating, and uplifting.

Many of the stories of Tree are curated and distributed to several topics. Tree also engages with other writers as an excellent collaborator on our Slack channel, welcomes our new writers. I am grateful for the contribution Tree does for ILLUMINATION. Besides, she raised the profile of our Facebook page.

Tree relentlessly review stories submitted to our publication, provides feedback to the writers, and publishes them with the speed of light, always with sharp action focus to improve our process and tools.

Tree’s collaboration with our other editors and writers is exemplary. Tree is a diligent, caring, supportive, and creative writer and editor of ILLUMINATION.

Let’s explore the interesting life of Tree Langdon ♾️.

Tell us a bit about your background, Tree.

Thank you Dr Mehmet Yildiz for inviting me to be interviewed. I also want to thank you for all that you do for us at ILLUMINATION. It’s a fantastic publication and I’m happy to be an editor here.

I was born and raised in Canada, and grew up with three siblings in a town north of Toronto. My family was fairly poor but cared a lot for us. I left home two days after I turned 16.

A lot happened in between those two sentences but that’s a story for another time.

Now I live on the West coast on a small farm. I love to travel and right now my favourite place to explore is Asia.

I’m fascinated by all the different phases we go through in our lives, especially the roles we play. At different times I’ve been a manager, a butcher, controller, gardener, accountant and salesperson. I’ve been a single mom of two and a new mom for two more when we blended families. I’ve always been a reader. One of my earliest memories is the weekly trip to the library with my family.

Now I write.

Why do you write on Medium?

I opened a Medium account in 2017 on the advice of a member of a writing group I had joined. When I returned to Medium in 2019, I discovered I had only created a single post. It was a comment.

On October 17, 2017, I wrote “Holy crap. Just holy crap… Every word is truth.”

It was in response to a post by Kate Holly Clark:

I don’t remember meeting Kate in the writing group, but I remember her writing. Somehow, that’s more important to me.

I returned to creative writing after many years working in Finance, where I mainly wrote policy. At first I used it to find my path after a breakdown and found it very therapeutic. Writing things down helps me sort them out.

What are the top three books that have affected your life?

That’s a tough question. I read everything and I’m sure everything influenced me in some way, even the cereal boxes I read as a kid.

The Chrysalids by John Wyndam was required reading in school. I was transported into a world where people could communicate using their minds. I was instantly intrigued and imagined how fantastic that level of communication would be.

Nine Lives by William Dalrymple transported me into nine different lives in a completely different culture. It created an opening through which I have crammed multiple books and college courses covering diverse topics such as world religion and forensic anthropology.

Any book by Brene Brown. She is genuine, honest and vulnerable in her relentless examination of self. I grow every time I read or listen to her words.

Tell us about your hobbies.

I dabble in many things but I’m a master of none. I paint, sketch, play the ukulele and dabble in my garden, although gardening is becoming less of a hobby and more of a necessity these days. Walking is a major entertainment as we live near the ocean.

Fishing — I tell people I like fishing, but I really like getting out on the ocean.

I like to work hard and enjoy a good renovation. I’ve worn out several shovels and own my own pry bar.

How do you connect with your readers?

I write about what I’m interested in and hope my readers will find it interesting as well. I try to write the way I speak, which is direct and to the point. On the other hand I tend to layer my poetry, building nuance and innuendo into every line.

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

I became a writer for Illumination because I was invited to join in. I’m so happy to be a part of this community of friends. It feels like I belong here.

Who are the top ten writers you follow on ILLUMINATION?

That’s a really difficult question to answer. I’ve made strong connections with fellow editors but I’m always meeting new writers and there are too many to choose from.

Here’s my first pass at it:

Kevin Buddaeus : I really enjoy the way he thinks and his writing is entertainingly precise. He works so hard for the publication and he’s a tech whiz, imho.

Holly Jahangiri is the sister I’ve always wanted and the friend at the party who talks you into the fun yet slightly inappropriate dance. Yes Holly, I say yes.

Dipti Pande is a sweet person who is always positive and encouraging. I love her poems as well as her more serious articles.

R Tsambounieri Talarantas is a poet who paints images with her words. I am always fascinated how she leads the reader on a journey.

Terri DelCampo-Nelson is fierce. When she feels strongly about a subject her words are powerful. Recently she wrote a poem about Misogynist Legislators and it was right on the mark.

Dew Langrial is a positivity guru. She often writes about living in the moment and focusing on what you can control, rather than trying to control things you can’t control. I read her articles because they inspire me to be a better person.

Rasheed Hooda or Mister Weirdo as he likes to call himself. I haven’t figured out why yet, but I’m sure someone will tell me. I this phrase he posts at the end of his stories “You can let others tell you what it means to be successful, or you can decide it for yourself.” To me, that says it all.

Maïa Belart : Her flair, and spontaneity bring a smile to my face every time. She questions everything in her writing and that is interesting to me.

Gurpreet Dhariwal writes beautiful poetry that always resonates with me. I’ve listened to her advice and have never been sorry.

Chris Hedges is one of the first people I met when I joined Illumination. She’s so positive and always ready to help. She’s also outrageous, which appeals to the diva in me and she’s always doing something surprising.

Kathryn A. LeRoy, Ph.D. is a new editor as well. I’m enjoying getting to know her as we learn the ropes together. Her writing is inspirational and I really enjoy how she questions everything.

Timothy Key writes a lot of helpful articles for writers on Illumination. His latest project for June focuses on highlighting new writers. I really enjoy his perspective and how he takes time to get to know something about every writer he meets. His June articles featuring new writers are inspiring and interesting.

There are so many more — I wish I could mention them all. I’m sorry if you didn’t make the list.

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

The Inheritance, because it’s part of a larger story I’m thinking about writing.

Open the Window as Wide as You Can, because it’s about religious tolerance and inclusion. We need that right now

The Binding, because it’s a poem that tells a true story from my life.

It’s Important to Make Your End of Life Choices Now, because it’s time to decide what you want.

We Treasure the Magic of Crows, because this poem is the first one I wrote when I began writing again.

The Magic Scarf, because the protagonist finds her strength in a relationship and because of the kick ass boots she wears in the story.

I know that’s six, but it’s hard to leave any of these stories out.

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

I’ve had the most success when I write what I feel and then edit it mercilessly. I’ve been editing my SEO data and using tags that the Medium Curators pay attention to. I’ve also been using a headline analyzer to attract readers.

What do you recommend to the new writers on ILLUMINATION?

Reach out and connect to as many other writers as you can. Support each other, read and comment when you feel inspired. Reciprocate. Share your posts on social media and share the posts of other writers as well. Join Slack and participate in the conversations there.

What are your future plans as a writer?

I want to continue to make connections with my audience as I explore new ideas.

I’m working on a book about some crazy characters that live in the same apartment building. My challenge is to tie them all together with a common theme. I can’t decide if it will be a murder or a tragedy and I’m thinking about creating an outline for Nanowrimo in the fall and going for it.

Thank you for your valuable time Tree Langdon ♾️. I enjoy reading your inspiring, informative, uplifting, and engaging stories on ILLUMINATION every day. Your writing style and choice of content are appealing to me. I appreciate your wonderful support to our publication, writers, and readers. Your content illuminates our publication and empowers our readers.

You can check writer bio for Tree Langdon ♾️ from her creative pen.

If you are a writer on ILLUMINATION and would like to be interviewed, please send a request via this link with 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

Jeff Hanlon

Besom & Bletherskite

Sherry McGuinn

Sylvia Love Johnson

Maïa Belart

Henery X (long)

Chowa Sekai

conny manero

Sumera Rizwan

Karen Madej 💛

Anita Lesko

Marianna Saver

Suntonu Bhadra

John Cousins

Annelise Lords

Aisha

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

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