Interview with Cary Holladay

Cary Holladay grew up in Virginia. She is the author of five volumes of fiction, including A Fight in the Doctor’s Office (Miami UP 2008) and The Quick-Change Artist: Stories (Swallow Press / Ohio UP 2006). Her work has appeared in New Stories From the South: The Year’s Best. Her awards include an O. Henry Prize and fellowships from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Tennessee Arts Commission, and the NEA.

She teaches at the University of Memphis, where she is Director of the River City Writers Series and a First Tennessee Professor.

Interview with Cary Holladay

Superstition Review: In your story, “Land of Lightning,” why did you decide to use Tinsley’s voice for the narrator?

Cary Holladay: Because Tinsley has lost so much—his wife, his marriage, his daughter. All of that grief has tested his strength of character and has brought him to a state of wondering—about being a husband, being a father, and what it means to send your daughter off to war.

SR: Burton Laughinghouse is a name and a character that really sticks out in the story. Why did you decide that the name would be fitting for him? How does it embody his character?

CH: “Laughinghouse” is a name I heard or read somewhere and was captivated by. I have a weakness for unusual names, but using them in a story can be risky, like a joke. The name embodies Burton Laughinghouse’s character in an ironic way; he’s playful but selfish, a disruptive force, a con man. His love of birds is real, but he exploits the people who befriend and assist him.

SR: There is an element of religion in the story when the characters speak of God, praying, and the devil being present in Glenna’s life or when the devil was asked to leave. What do you believe it brought to the story and what importance does religion have for the characters?

CH: It’s such a part of them that they feel the pull of its compass no matter what they do. Glenna, especially, feels the burden of her sin for having injured Ned Page. She feels guilt for being attracted to Burton Laughinghouse. Religion is part of the personal mystery that these characters carry with them.

SR: The incident with Glenna Dancy and Ned Page with the arrow was briefly mentioned in the beginning of the story but is really brought to life at the end. Tell us why you decided that this story would make for a perfect ending. What way did it tie the whole story together?

CH: That incident grew out of the fear I felt in high school archery class. A bow and arrow is a powerful, primitive, effective weapon. To aim and let that arrow fly at a living target is to pronounce a death sentence, or at least pose severe danger. The scene tied the story together because it expressed the contradictions in Glenna’s tormented inner self—her sexuality, her anger, her ego. She’s combative. Like Tinsley’s daughter who died in a helicopter accident in Iraq, Glenna has a warrior’s heart.

SR: What are you writing now? What are you reading?

I’m finishing a collection of stories set in Virginia’s horse country and have begun writing a novel about the pirate Blackbeard. I’m reading buccaneer legends, lore, and history.

 

Meet the Interns: Amy Cheung, Advertising Coordinator

Amy Cheung is a Creative Writing junior at ASU.

Superstition Review: What is your position with Superstition Review and what are your responsibilities?

Amy Cheung: Advertising Coordinator. I am responsible for creating and sending out email blasts regarding submissions, readings, and notifications about Issue 5 of Superstition Review. I also work to contact other magazines and advertise SR there, as well as other locations so that we can increase awareness of our magazine.

SR: How did you hear about Superstition Review and what made you decide to get involved?

AC: I took a course with Trish last semester about publishing in literary magazines. I received email blasts about Issue 4 and an email blast requesting applications for interning this semester with SR. I thought it would be a great opportunity to contribute!

SR: What are you hoping to take away from your Superstition Review experience?

AC: I hope to learn a lot from this experience of working as a small part of a really big project. I want to learn the process of getting a literary journal out, better appreciate all the hard work that goes into it, and understand the extent to which each role plays an important part. More importantly, I want to have fun this semester working with my peers on this amazing journal.

SR: Describe one of your favorite literary or artistic works.

AC: One of the best books that I’ve ever read is by Australian author Tim Winton called Cloudstreet. It’s an amazing book about real life people and real life situations. The magic realism of the book creates a fascinating world that anyone can be a part of and brings the characters and the house they live in to life. The author’s style is so beautiful and fitting for his characters. It is definitely a must read.

SR: What are you currently reading?

AC: Besides all the textbooks for my other courses at ASU, I’ve just started reading Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress.

SR: What other position(s) for Superstition Review would you like to try out?

AC: I think I would enjoy trying to do Photoshop and web design work for SR. I wouldn’t mind trying my hand at being a fiction editor, since I love reading other people’s work.

SR: Do you write or create art? What are you currently working on?

AC: I both write and create art. I’ve been revising a lot of my old stories as well as very slowly working on a book that I thought up several years ago. Art wise, although I haven’t painted in three years, I’m trying to paint again. I also like to do digital art, although it tends to be very time consuming.

SR: Besides interning for Superstition Review, how do you spend your time?

AC: Currently, I have three other classes at ASU, and I work part time for my high school in China. I’m finishing up helping coach for the basketball season. I also work as a media designer, creating advertisements, posters, pamphlets and other documents to promote the school.

SR: What is your favorite mode of relaxation?

AC: I love sitting and talking to my friends, since I have so little time to do so. I also like taking time for myself, reading, drawing, and playing video games when I need to do something mind numbing.

SR: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

AC: I hope to still be writing in 10 years, and working as a museum administrator. I love art and organizing, so I hope to make a profession of it!

Issue 4 of Superstition Review

We apologize for not announcing it on the blog sooner, but Issue 4 of Superstition Review is up and running!

Brought to you by Fall 2009’s 23 student interns through the B.A. program in Literature, Writing, and Film at the ASU Polytechnic campus, Superstition Review‘s fourth issue features excellent new work from established and emerging artists and writers.

In our Art section, we present work from Christopher Jagmin, Eric Penington, and José Bechara.

For Fiction, we have stories from Allen Kopp, Cary Holladay, Charlotte Holmes, Jen Knox, Juli Henshaw, Karen Brown, Kate Kostelnik, Leslie Epstein, Sherril Jaffe, Sudha Balagopal, and Vytatuas Malesh.

In Interviews, our interns speak with Carol Ann Bassett, Judith Halberstam, Leslie Epstein, Michael Martone, Robert Ekiss, Robin Hemley, Tania Katan, and Wanda Coleman.

We present Nonfiction essays from Anna Viadero, Carol Ann Bassett, Christine Steele, Jo Scott-Coe, Joseph Lombo, Rachel Yoder, Rick Steigelman, and Tania Katan.

Our Poetry section features poems from Aaron Fagan, Barbara Kingsolver, Billy Collins, Deborah Bogen, Emily Ferrara, James Kimbrell, Katherine Soniat, Kathleen Hellen, Keith Ekiss, Kelli Russell Agodon, Richard Bronson, Sarah J. Wangler, Stefanie Silva, and Timothy Liu.

Check it out and enjoy!

Meet the Interns: Jessica Swanson, Web Design Team Manager

jessicaswanson_0Jessica Swanson is a Senior at Arizona State University majoring in English with a concentration in Creative Writing.

Superstition Review: What do you do for SR?

Jessica Swanson: As the Web Design Team Manager I oversee projects for the Blogger, Web Developer, and Photoshop Editor. I initiate or remind the members of upcoming projects as well as assist them with certain projects or questions. During the past few weeks the team and I have begun a rebuild of the SR webpage which I am extremely excited about. This includes redesign the fonts, colors, and layout of the site as well as creating a new banner that will represent SR during the release of the fourth issue.

SR: How did you hear about or get involved with Superstition Review?

JS: I have had a few classes with Trish in the past and had heard about Superstition Review a few times. Since it is my last undergraduate semester at ASU I thought this would be a great opportunity to gain some hands-on experience with this online literary publication.

SR: What is your favorite section of SR? Why?

JS: I am a fiction girl so I would have to say that section and the art section are my two favorite areas of SR. I primarily write fiction so I am drawn to that section just from a personal bias, and I am always fascinated by artwork and, therefore, attracted to that section.

SR: Who is your dream contributor to the journal? Talk about him/her.

JS: Well he has already contributed to the journal, but I would really love to see a piece of fiction by Sherman Alexie. He is a very diverse author/poet and I find his work extremely influential in my personal life. I have a deep respect for him as a Native American author and would love to meet him one day.

SR: What job, other than your own, would you like to try out in the journal?

JS: I would really like to be a fiction editor (big surprise) or possible work for the marketing team.

SR: What are you most excited for in the upcoming issue?

JS: I am very excited about the re-design of the SR website. My team has been working very hard these past two weeks to get this up and running by the fourth launch and I am extremely excited to see the final result.

SR: What was the first book you remember falling in love with and what made it so special?

JS: Well this wasn’t really one of the first books that I ever fell in love with, but this was the first book that made me cry. I remember being in elementary school and reading Where the Red Fern Grows, probably for pleasure and not as an assigned reading. I was home alone and it was an overcast, early winter day. I sat in an oversized plush chair in the living room, curled up with my feet underneath me. As I read the novel I became overwhelmed by what I was reading, never having read something quite like that at my age. I cried and cried until my family came home and at the time I was sad, but I was also thrilled because that was the first time I had truly interacted with a book. After that I just became an even bigger bookworm and you could not pull me out of library for anything.

SR: What are you currently reading?

JS: Besides schoolwork I am attempting to read a mystery called Beautiful Lies. This has been a feat considering the workload of the first few weeks, but I hope to have it completed soon. I am very surprised with the novel so far–something I wasn’t expecting since it had been on the bargain table at Barnes and Noble. During the summer I read the entire Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris and I would like to start viewing the show True Blood which is based on the series. Also, I am greatly anticipating Dan Brown’s new novel The Lost Symbol which continues the Robert Langdon series.

SR: What artist have you really connected with, either in subject matter, work, or motto?

JS: I think I talk about Sherman Alexie a little bit too much, but he has got to be my favorite author just because of subject matter (although I hear he is a pretty nice guy as well). He has really helped me not only as a writer, but also as a Native American who always felt a little bit like an outcast within the community. I appreciate his work because he is so true and honest and humorous. I truly respect him as an author and I greatly value his work.

SR: What would be your dream class to take at ASU? What would the title be and what would it cover?

JS: Dream class? Naptime 101. But that will never happen. I really wish I could take a class where I am being graded to read whatever I want. If I knew that I could devote two hours a night to reading some random fiction novel off the shelf for a grade then I would be in heaven. I have found that during semesters I really cannot dedicate the time I would like to read novels for pleasure. If I could have a class where I was allowed to do that then I would be overjoyed.

Superstition Review Reading 3

What: Superstition Review Reading 3: Featuring Carol Ann Bassett
When: Monday, November 30, 2009 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Where: ASU Memorial Union Building, Pima Auditorium (Room 230)

In conjunction with the ASU School of Life Sciences and the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing, Superstition Review proudly announces its final reading of the Issue 4 Reading Series featuring renowned nonfiction writer and journalist Carol Ann Bassett. Author of three books of literary nonfiction, including her most recent release Galapagos at the Crossroads, Bassett’s work has received high acclaim, being anthologized in the American Nature Writing series. She was a regular contributor to The New York Times and Time Life Inc. and her work has appeared in such national publications as The Nation and The Los Angeles Times. Her work focuses on natural history, the environment, and traditional cultures in transition.

Meet the Interns: Amber Mosure, Poetry Editor

ambermosure_0_0Amber Mosure is serving on the Poetry and Art Team as one of our two Poetry Editors. She is a senior this semester, and is a student of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, majoring in English Literature.

Superstition Review: What do you do for SR?

Amber Mosure: I send out solicitations for poetry contributors to SR. I read submissions and make a decision on who will be published in the poetry section of the magazine. I send out acceptance and rejection emails. I write interview questions to ask potential interviewees.

SR: How did you hear about or get involved with Superstition Review?

AM: I am a returning staff member. Last semester was my first issue with SR. It was the 3rd issue. I did funding and development last semester. I heard about the opportunity to come back on board as poetry editor. I thought that would be fun and exciting, so I accepted.

SR: What is your favorite section of SR?

AM: I like poetry. It’s mainly what I write so I’m partial to it.

SR: Who is your dream contributor to the journal?

AM: It’s a tie between Lydia Lunch and musician/writer/songwriter, Nick Cave, but I’d have to say Lydia. She is a musician, actress, writer, photographer, performance artist. She is internationally known. She’s released numerous musical, as well as, spoken word albums. I love the art of spoken word and she is very candid, captivating, and intense with it. She’s well-known in the underground. She got her career start as lead singer for the late 1970s nu-wave band Teenage Jesus and The Jerks.

SR: What job, other than your own, would you like to try out in the journal?

AM: Art Editor.

SR: What are you most excited for in the upcoming issue?

AM: Picking contributors.

SR: What artist have you really connected with, either in subject matter, work, or motto?

AM: Kathy Acker. Her writing is very post-modern in style, almost poetically schizophrenic but eerily makes sense when directly applied to one’s own personal experiences with people and the world. I have connected with her works in the last couple years. Of her works, I’ve read: Don Quixote, Empire of the Senseless, In Memoriam to Identity, Great Expectations, and Pussy King of the Pirates.

SR: What are some of your favorite websites to waste time on or distract you from homework?

AM: Facebook, band websites.

SR: What would be your dream class to take at ASU? What would the title be and what would it cover?

AM: John Waters: A Study in the Art of Bad Taste. It would cover his life, his art, his movies, his writings. It would include other notables in the art of bad taste.

SR: Do you write? Tell us about a project you’re working on.

AM: I am in the process of pitching a synopsis for a co-authored screenplay entitled “Celebrity Matters.” It’s pretty raunchy, but looking at the films being released by major production companies gives me great hope.

 

Get to know more staff next week!

This Past Week: Call for Contributors Begins

This week has been a little crazy for the interns at Superstition Review–the semester’s just taking off and things have been getting busy!

The prose and poetry editors have completed their solicitation lists this week and are preparing to email writers we’re all hoping will contribute to the fourth issue of SR. They’ve also been working on a list of writers they’d like to interview for the journal. This is an exciting time for these editors because right now they’re working with infinite possibilities on who to ask for contributions, and who to interview–it’s not until next week, when they send out emails to their lists of people, that the anxiety sets in while they wait for replies.

The art editors are working along those same lines. They’re reviewing artists’ works, looking at suggestions and their lists of solicitations, and trying to figure out whom they would like to approach for a contribution.

These editing teams, the prose, poetry, and art, have also alerted the Content Team of their full lists of solicitations and interview-hopefuls in order to let these interns keep tabs on what’s going in and out at the journal. The Content Team must keep track of what will be featured and what’s making the editing cut, so it’s equally important they get the foundational work done now.

The Web Design team is continuing to discuss how to improve the site for increased ease of navigation and aesthetic appeal. The interns in this group are working on getting photos of all the interns up, new site design, and, of course, keeping you up to date on what’s going on via the blog, our Twitter account, and our Facebook fan page.

Our administrative interns are busy with all things media this week: they’ve been planning the upcoming Reading Series, coming up with a contest for the journal, researching advertising opportunities, and, perhaps the most exciting for our readers, working on a Kindle-based version of SR.

Trish, our Editor-in-Chief has been attending meetings with the individual teams, keeping us updated with podcasts, and making sure things run smoothly, all while handling her normal full teaching load at ASU Polytechnic this semester.

That about wraps it up for this week. Next week, with solicitations leaving the desks of the interns, it’ll be a high-anxiety, nervous, and, frankly, exhilarating time as we keep our fingers crossed to see who decides they’d like to submit to SR.