Jennifer Lagier
Oyster River Pages: Why do you write and/or create?
Jennifer Lagier: Since I was a child, I've had a compulsion to create. This urge manifests itself in scribbling poetry, memoir and fiction as well as through photography, gardening, cooking.
ORP: What is the most challenging aspect of your artistic process?
JL: The most challenging aspects are carving out uninterrupted time to encourage creation and then patience to allow work to unfold and bloom at its own speed.
ORP: What do you think is the best way to improve writing and/or artistic skills?
JL: The best way to improve one's writing skills is through reading tons and tons of work by others as well as constantly writing. I have a sign above my laptop that reads "JUST WRITE!"
ORP: Who do you consider to be your creative ancestors and contemporaries for your art and/or writing? How does your creative work converse with theirs?
JL: I'm old, so have gone through the following phases: Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Diane Wakowski, Denise Levertov, Marge Piercy, May Sarton, Annie Dillard, Mary Oliver, Joan Colby, Jane Hirschfield, Dorianne Laux, Kim Addonizio, Diane Ackerman. My own work echoes some of their themes, but embodies my own perspective and voice.
ORP: What books have you read more than once in your life?
JL: Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker's Creek, Diane Ackerman's I Praise My Destroyer, Dorianne Laux's What We Carry.
ORP: What does vulnerability mean to you as an artist and/or writer?
JL: It means sharing the scary stories with editors/publishers/readers.
