Devoted to publishing, publishers and to those who craft the written word

"If you take a hot pin and stick it into amber, the smell of million-year-old pine resin floats out at you, fresh and alive. The pinprick of the word 'dad' was like that for me--it sent memories streaming, filling the air with old angers."

That's Gayle Brandeis writing about memory in her new novel, Self Storage, This Bellwether Prize-winning author has been our special guest this week, discussing how her manic first draft became this poetic novel.

Most of all, Brandeis taught us how to write about memory, exploring everything from storage locker auctions to Walt Whitman poetry. 

Welcome to my deceptively simple feature, Five Easy Questions. In the spirit of Jack Nicholson’s mad piano player, I run a serialized set of weekly interviews with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web publishing...

Jason Boog:
You have the longest resume: writer, essayist, poet, actress, activist, dancer, and many other things, I'm sure. How do you balance writing and your other responsibilities? How do you drag yourself over to the computer after a busy day and begin to write? Continue reading...

Gayle Brandeis:
I try to follow the ebb and flow of inspiration—to write when I'm moved to write, to dance when I'm moved to dance, etc.

Of course, I can't always follow these whims if I have a deadline, a rehearsal schedule, etc. In those cases, I just do the work that's in front of me, and try to stay open to other sorts of inspiration when I have the time.

I've found that it's getting harder to balance everything as I get older—somehow I thought it would get easier!—so I'm trying not to spread myself too thin, to just focus on a couple of things at a time so I don't get too overwhelmed.

Right now, my writing and activism are at the forefront of my life (along with my family), but I look forward to being able to invite more dance in again soon.