This interview was conducted and edited by Ashland Creek Press intern Rachel Harris. Q: What inspired you to write this story? A: After Hurricane Florence flooded southeastern North Carolina and the factory farmers left the chickens and hogs to either drown or be swept away to fend for themselves, I couldn’t shake the thought of what …
I want to first thank everyone who has submitted so far to our second edition of the Among Animals anthology. We’re continually impressed by the quality of the stories we’ve received. It’s especially gratifying to hear from those writers who “get” what it is we’re trying to achieve with this collection. That said, we’re still …
A Q&A with Love & Ordinary Creatures author Gwyn Hyman Rubio Q: How did you come up with the idea for this book? A: Fifteen years ago, the idea for this book materialized while my husband and I were traveling in Australia. We were eating lunch in a delicatessen at Airlie Beach, waiting for the …
An interview with Among Animals contributor Ray Keifetz (“Miriam’s Lantern”) Q: What inspired you to write this story? A: “Miriam’s Lantern” began as a series of prose poems called “Last Things.” I spent a melancholy night enumerating extinctions—creatures, cultures, trees, languages … “Where to begin?” was my epigram; it could have as easily been “There’s …
An interview with Among Animals contributor Melodie Edwards (“Bad Berry Season”) Q: What inspired you to write this story? A: When I was working for the Forest Service, a bear started raiding some Dumpsters in the small mountain town where I was living, and I thought a lot about the employees who had to problem-solve …
An interview with Among Animals contributor Suzanne Kamata (“Blue Murder”) Q: As an American writer living in Japan, what are the similarities and differences in the ways animals are perceived and treated in each country? A: Animals are generally treated with reverence in Japan, probably due to the Buddhist belief that every life is sacred. …
An interview with Among Animals contributor Sara Dupree (“The Weight of Things Unsaid”) Q: What was the inspiration for your story? A: Many of the elements of my story are autobiographical. I lost my sweet, happy dog when he hopped through a hole in the ice at a time in my life I was dealing …
An interview with Among Animals contributors Carol Guess and Kelly Magee (“With Sheep”) Q: As co-authors of this story, what was your writing process like? Carol: Kelly and I had so much fun writing “With Sheep.” It’s part of a book-length collection titled With Animal; each short story focuses on a human who becomes pregnant …