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SmokeLong Quarterly

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Smoking With Jen Wright

(Read the Story) June 15, 2004

Jen Wright

Art by Marty D. Ison

Did you find it challenging to pull together so many images of Family in a concentrated piece like this one?

“Moonlighting,” relies on the narrator’s memories. They embrace him. Kick him. At times, I think we all feel overwhelmed by the passing of time, the mistakes we’ve made and our inability to move past them. The images of Family arrived from what I imagined to be his perspective on life that night.

What was your inspiration for this piece?

A photograph I was given by a friend that pictured a women running down a suburban street on a bright, spring day. Really.

What do you find challenging about writing?

I think I struggle the most in finding the dirty, honest truth of a story. Often, I imagine a story to take me one place and I end up somewhere else entirely. Or worse, I realize the story is flat and meaningless. It’s the process of letting go so that I can later return with a new found understanding that I find very challenging at times.

What appeals to you about writing flash fiction?

Everything.

What would your creative outlet be if you were not able to write?

Maybe acting.

About the Author

Jen Wright recently returned to writing after a three-year hiatus. She currently lives in Philadelphia with her two dogs, two cats and the love of her life-a man named Pablo.

About the Artist

A native of Ohio, Marty D. Ison lives with his wife transplanted in the sands of the Gulf of Mexico. He studied fine arts at Saint Petersburg College. In addition to the visual arts, he writes poetry, short stories, and novels. See more of Ison’s work here.

This interview appeared in Issue Four of SmokeLong Quarterly.
SmokeLong Quarterly Issue Four
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