Mary Pacifico Curtis

Oyster River Pages: Do you rely more on discipline, inspiration, or something else when writing or creating artwork?

Mary Pacifico Curtis: Grief used to fuel a lot of my writing. Now I try to be tuned for a 'moment of poetry' in every day. I used to think I had to write something new every day. My MFA showed me that revision is very much a part of writing, and done right, can lead to something new and surprising.

ORP: What is your favorite piece that you have written or created? If applicable, please link us to the site where it is published so we can share it along with your response!

MPC: My forthcoming book took its name, Understanding Moonseed, from this essay.

ORP: Are you working on anything at present that you would like to share with your readers/viewers?

MPC: Understanding Moonseed, a memoir in essays, has been accepted for publication in 2022.


ORP: What is the artist’s/writer’s greatest asset?

MPC: Passion.

Mary Pacifico Curtis is the author of two chapbooks, Between Rooms and The White Tree Quartet (WordTech Turning Point), as well as poetry and prose that has appeared or is forthcoming in The Crab Orchard Review, The Rumpus, The Tupelo Press 30/30 Project, The Naugatuck River Review, Narrative Magazine, Catamaran and Calyx. Her work is also included in numerous anthologies. She is a 2012 Joy Harjo Poetry Finalist (Cutthroat Journal), 2019 Poetry Finalist in The Tiferet Journal, and a non-fiction finalist in The 48th New Millenium Writings contest. A Chicago native, she holds a BS from Northwestern University and an MFA from Goddard College. She lives in Los Gatos, California with her husband and two dogs following a Silicon Valley career in PR and branding.

READ Mary’s ESSAY “All That’s In Between” FROM ISSUE 5.1 HERE.