SmokeLong Quarterly

I was kind of wondering at the impulse behind the story. Did you want to tell a puberty story in a new way? Or was Medusa the driving idea?

I do find myself drawn to writing about adolescence, but actually, I wanted to write a midrash for the Medusa story and that’s how this piece came about.

Is this piece part of a larger project? If so, describe. If not, what do you have going right now?

Yes, this story is part of a larger piece—an instruction manual (loosely) for godhood. I had fun creating a class struggle between the old gods (Chthonics) and the new ones (Olympians), and I situated Medusa and her growing up right in the middle of all of it.

What draws you to flash?

I like to read flash because it’s very close to poetry. It’s such a small package of story that flash pieces can really afford to be innovative and beautiful and strange with language in a way that longer pieces of prose often can’t maintain. They’re kind of gemlike.

Microprompt: Write a futuristic/sci-fi story that captures the Trump presidency in 140 characters.

Oh gosh: The wall on the Mexican border is used, instead, to keep U.S. citizens in.

You’ve simultaneously won the Powerball and grown tired of the writing life. How do you choose to live out your days?

Could I still read? Or is that part of the writing life? I really don’t know. If the last question didn’t make me anxious, this one sure does. I’m not sure I’d be all that changed. I’d get a better bathtub for my apartment—one where my legs don’t stick out. I’d hike a lot. I’d help out my friends and my mom. Boring answers, sorry.

Also, this isn’t part of the interview, but I also want to offer a quick word of gratitude to my friend, Sarah Martin, who created the stunning artwork for this story.