We love learning more about our contributors, and an interview seemed like a fun way to hear more about the writers and artists we publish, so we gave them a choice of questions to answer. We hope you also enjoy hearing more about the artists and their works. Read on and check out issue 23 for work from John M. Fredericks.

Listen to John's reading of "A Memory in Four Acts"

Who are some of your favorite writers and what do you like about them?

I’ve been accused, not unfairly, of falling in love with pretty much every writer I come across. My recency bias is strong, but I tend to return again and again to a few writers who I count among my best teachers: Larry Brown, Philip Roth, and Anne Tyler.
Larry Brown showed me how to be experimental without losing my voice. His is the truest voice I’ve ever come across.
Philip Roth taught me that every word matters, that every page is a delicate transaction between the writer and his craft, that any idea—no matter how loony—can be rendered wonderfully, so long as you take your time.
Anne Tyler taught me everything. I’m indebted to her work in ways I can’t even begin to organize. I’m just thankful I’ve saved some of her novels for later.



What is your #1 advice for other writers?

Try to make friends with other writers. It’s a solitary life and it’s good to have people who you can support in their craft and who can support you in yours.



If you're part of a workshop group or other creative community, tell us about it! How did it form, what all do you do, and how does it help your creative process?

Last year I participated in a writing fellowship with an organization called Teach Plus. The fellowship operated like a workshop and was composed of some amazing teachers, advocates, and writers from all over the country, who publish op-eds on issues pertaining to education. The fellowship was an incredibly generative process for me. I had stopped writing altogether for about three years and Teach Plus pushed me to jump back into the form. The op-eds I published over the course of the fellowship gave me the confidence to start writing fiction again.



Give us a recipe and tell us why you chose it--what's special about that dish?

Since “A Memory in Four Acts” takes place partly on a family vacation, I’ll give you a recipe for a Mai Tai. I used to work in a college bar in Reno—one of those bars that filled up quickly with doughy college kids who ordered pitchers of Coors Light and cheap wings. One night a new bartender got caught in a massive rush and a customer ordered a Mai Tai. She turned to the other bartender, a man who could make elaborate drinks with elusive speed, and asked him how to make the drink. He yelled: rum…and juice! So, there you have it. The best Mai Tai contains both rum and juice.