About “The Dead Mouse and the Hatchet”

1. What was your motivation for writing “The Dead Mouse and the Hatchet”?

This essay was part of a series I wrote following the unexpected death of my daughter at age 22, from unknown causes. I started with an exploration of death’s origin story and just kept writing.

2. What challenges—if any—did you have writing your piece?

I took a trip to my parents’ cabin in Colorado for the purpose of writing, but did not have anything specific in my mind. The complete freedom was a challenge! 

3. What is your favourite line—if any—in “The Dead Mouse and the Hatchet”?

“Without knowing the words I will speak or stories I will tell, I cannot go forward without an open-hearted, improbable, yes!”

4. What do you want people to walk away with after reading “The Dead Mouse and the Hatchet”

For all the grief essays, I would like to provide some companionship to those going through loss.

Reading

1. What are you currently reading?

Sheldon Costa’s The Great Work.

2. Do you have a favourite book? If so, what is it?

Melville’s Moby Dick!

3. What is your favourite poet or author, if any?

Octavia Butler and Adrienne Rich.

4. Do you gravitate towards reading genres outside the ones you write?

Yes, I love reading fiction and deep dive nonfiction about subjects I am unfamiliar with.

Writing

1. Why do you write?

It feels like a calling. Ideas come easily to me, and I love how I feel when writing, how words and phrases come to me out of nowhere. I love the craft of it, designing a structure and editing. I am a fan of words and language in general. 

2. What do you love about being a writer?

The intellectual freedom I am able to explore, the ability to create a certain type of reality and invite people in. 

3. What time of the day do you write, and do you have a writing routine?

I seem to always write in the daytime, when I have the opportunity. I still have a day job that tends to get in the way.

4. Where do you get your ideas from?

I have no idea where they come from. I read a lot and am deeply curious about the world, but the ideas often come to me fully formed. I can invite ideas, and they tend to appear. If I have significant time available and I am writing a lot, I tend to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of ideas. It has taken me some time to accept that I cannot write them all, and that that is OK.

5. How long does it take you to write your projects?

The researched pieces can take up to a couple of months. The shorter essays usually take a day or two.

6. What advice would you give to other authors/writers/poets?

I would give the advice that most resonates with me, that is to write/create because the world needs it, we need to see your thoughts and your work! 

7. What project(s) are you currently working on?

I am hoping to do a longer researched piece about perjury, where I look into the origins of the concept. Using perjury as a framework, I would like to explore the importance of truth in civil society, and explore how perjury could be expanded upon and used to combat disinformation/misinformation (it is rarely used in [the] current legal system).