Hello from Emily

Do you have a nickname?

Sadly, no, just Emily. 

What do you like to read?

I've been trying to read a wider variety of books the past year, but overall my tastes usually lean towards magical realism, literary fantasy, slipstream, interstitial works, etc. Some of my favorite authors are Kelly Link, Karen Russell and Karen Joy Fowler. Books that I read recently and loved are Catherynne Valente's Radiance, Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day, Fowler's We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, and Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels. 

What kind of stories do you write?
I tend to write weird, quietly fantastical stories, often with a touch of the macabre or melancholy. I love writing about friendships between women, loss, loneliness, kids trying to figure out how to grow up, and regret, although I'm trying to branch out to new themes. Favorite/common motifs that you'll see in my stories include weird animals, weird museums, the aesthetic of the Victorian occult, stories taking place in early 20th century Europe, and characters with plenty of fears and anxieties. 

How would you describe your personality?

Let's just say that I don't have to do much research to write anxious characters. Seriously, aside from my nervous energy and jumpy nature, I would say that I'm a pretty friendly person who's becoming more and more extroverted as the years go by but who still needs to hole up with a book and a bowl of popcorn (seriously, I love popcorn) every once in a while. I like to think that I'm good at comforting people, so, if you hit the fourth week wall at Clarion and need a sympathetic ear, I'm your woman. I'm also known for my fierce and random obsessions.

I have a flair for the dramatic.

And also the absurd. 

What would you do this summer if you hadn't been accepted to Clarion?

I've been living in Berlin for the past year and a half. I'm moving back to New England (my native land is the Live Free or Die state) in the fall, but if I hadn't been accepted to Clarion, I likely would have spent the summer in Berlin, drinking cheap beer and buying old housewares from the GDR at flea markets. 

Who will miss you most while you're in San Diego (cats, kids, partner, boss, coworkers)?

Probably my husband (we just got married in April). Also my parents, who never quite adjusted to the whole our-daughter's-living-on-another-continent thing. 

Have you participated in an intensive writing workshop before?

Yes, I went to the Odyssey Writing Workshop in Manchester, N.H. three years ago. It was all kinds of crazy and awesome.

What scares you most about Clarion?

I wrote in my Clarion application that I feel that there's an intangible quality missing from my writing, and that at the workshop, I want to find that intangible quality. I'm most scared that I'll leave the workshop still completely lost on this intangible quality question. Oh, and also, that I'll find out at the workshop that I secretly hate writing. Oh, and ALSO, I need like ten hours of sleep per night to function, so, that's going to be a challenge. 

What do you do to relax or for recreation?

Run. Or bike. Or walk. Seriously, I need physical activity every day, otherwise I go a little nuts. 

What 1-2 essential things will you bring to Clarion besides your laptop, watergun, and espresso maker?

Definitely a pot so I can make popcorn on the stove (see above). Also, a few favorite books for inspiration, and a poster or two, because i'm a compulsive decorator. 

What is your ideal career?

In an ideal world, I'd love to be a successful (both critically and financially) novelist and short story writer who also taught creative writing at the university level. 

What else do you want us to know about you?

I've been told that when I'm speaking, I use far too many phrases and sentence constructions from the 19th century. I can write in any environment, no matter how loud and disruptive (a skill learned from working in a newsroom with some very rowdy colleagues for two years). I love to knit, read about the Romanov dynasty, and buy new notebooks.