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. Check out Issue 30 to read "North of West Erie" from Dale Scherfling.


What was the inspiration for the piece published in the issue?
My inspiration for 'North of West Erie' was both Max Miller (I Cover the Waterfront) and Jack London. I love the old waterfront in Lorain, Ohio - the romantic parts are all gone now, with both urban renewal and a dying economy - but I grew up in a foghorn and lake freighter era which was a part of my youth and Old Lorain. I felt at home there and wandered about freely. I was a writer before I was a writer.


Who are some of your favorite writers or artists, and what do you like about them?
I really like Irwin Shaw and his craftmanship. I studied him and Hemingway extensively in college and liked Hemingway's simplicity in writing a line and Shaw's adding just a touch more, to build a life.


What is your creative process? Do you plan pieces out or let them happen as they come?
My creative process is to just let it happen and to write SOMETHING every day, especially when I have nothing to write about. Anything. What do I see, how does it look, feel like, smell like, sound like? And how does it make ME feel about it? Then, keep it subtle and try not to explain it. Trust the reader to feel it.