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 21 for work from Cristy Shaner.



What was the inspiration for the piece published in the issue?
My nana died about ten years ago, and we never arranged a funeral for her. We picked up her ashes in a plastic bag after she was cremated, and it felt like we never said a proper goodbye to her. I wanted to write a poem about her for a long time, and everything I wrote felt false and formal. Once I stopped putting pressure on myself, I was able to write what I really felt-- the good and the bad.


Who or what inspires your work generally?
Most of the time I write for catharsis, so I write about things that feel unresolved or unhealed. My poetry tends to be pretty diaristic.


What is your favorite vice? What are you drinking at happy hour, in a literal or a metaphorical sense?I chose the piece
I have a huge sweet tooth, that's probably my biggest vice. If I could just eat dessert instead of dinner, I would.