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 get yourself a print edition of Contest Issue #4 for work from Charles Huysman.



What was the inspiration for the piece published in the issue?
I don't remember exactly when or if I wanted to write something about the food subscription services - your Blue Aprons, your Factors, etc - but I've always been curious about the things people turn to take a control of their lives in a huge, chaotic world. Whether it's religion, or vitamins, or self-help books, anything people look at and say "Yeah, this is it, this will fix me," even if it's just having someone bring your meals to you in a box. 

What is your #1 advice for other writers?
If I had to give advice to myself as a young baby writer, I'd tell him that it's okay to not write. There's an easy trap to fall into, I think, where we get stuck on churning out some final product: the perfect story, the great novel, whatever. But so much of writing is not writing, whether it's reading, or watching movies, or just walking around, listening to people, noticing the peculiarities of your neighborhood. As important as writing is to being a writer, being a whole person is more important. Take time to cultivate your tastes and interests and perspective, and observe the world around you. You lose so much of what makes writing interesting if you spend too much time just on the page.

What is your "white whale"?
My white whale is the eastern hellbender, North America's largest salamander, and a native of Appalachia. I don't get out into the woods as much as I'd like to, but I really hope to see one of these bad boys in the wild some day.