I’m one of those fortunate writers whose community includes many close friends and family. An unexpected blessing when I started Light After Rain was gaining additional readership from outside my circle of connections.
I wanted to take a post and reintroduce myself for those readers who don’t know who Renee is. To reveal myself, I thought it very appropriate to pull an age-old trick from the dusty hat of writer hacks—stealing from others. Earlier this year my supervisors published a Q&A profile about me on the company blog. I’m taking their questions without permission and answering them here.
In the immortal words of T. S. Eliot,
Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal.
And in the words of Billy Collins,
What an unmerry band of thieves we are . . . I thought to myself as a cold wave swirled around my feet and the lighthouse moved its megaphone over the sea, which is an image I stole directly from Lawrence Ferlinghetti— to be perfectly honest for a moment.
What do you like to do when you aren’t working?
In my free time I like to read and write, especially poetry, though I’ve recently branched out into short fiction and creative nonfiction.
Right now I’m rereading A Wrinkle in Time. Next on my list are A Series of Unfortunate Events, which I have never read, and Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which I reread every year.
Aside from consuming literature, I enjoy trying hot drinks, traveling near and far, and watching movies or playing games with friends. I’m also interested in horticulture, so I like to research plants and work with the houseplants that I own.
Most recently I’ve gotten into cooking. Turns out you don’t need a culinary degree—just a kitchen and a brain. (And an understanding of flavor profiles helps.)
What’s a fun fact about you that many people may not know?
I’m a multi-published poet! My pieces have been published in two anthologies and one literary magazine. Currently, I have two poems forthcoming in The Listening Journal of Communication Ethics, Religion, and Culture, and I am a contributing poetry editor for an online literary publication.
Describe what you were like at age 10.
A holy terror.
What is one of your favorite quotes?
My life quote is by Mary Oliver, from her poem “I Looked Up”:
What misery to be afraid of death. / What wretchedness, to believe only in what can be proven.
This quote isn’t about being ready to die, but about acknowledging that there’s no need for fear. No one accomplishes all that they want to do earthside. I won’t publish every piece of my work, not even all the good poems. I won’t visit all the countries I want to see. I won’t finish every book I’d like to read. But I am thankful for the life I have, the things I’ve written and read, and the places I’ve been. These are undeserved and precious gifts in their own right. Yes, what a miserable thing to focus on what I don’t have, or to bemoan the inevitable.
Too, the older I get, the more comfortable I am becoming with mystery. We know far less than we think we do about ourselves and our world. There will always be something more to discover or explore. What an exciting thing! And what a gift not to have all the answers. The older I get, the more I rely on faith, wonder, attention, and trust.
What was your dream job as a child?
I wanted to be a marine biologist—specifically an ichthyologist, or shark biologist. But I was informed that marine biologists still have to take chemistry classes, which killed the dream immediately.
What is your favorite color?
This is a ridiculous question. Favorite color of what? clothing? cars? kitchen appliances?
Also it’s periwinkle.
What are your top three life goals?
Publish an anthology of my poetry.
Become an expatriate poet (Eliot-style) and live abroad in Oxford, England, or Melbourne, Australia.
Go diving in a shark cage.
What is one of your grammatical pet peeves?
If you do not respect the Oxford comma, I do not respect you (respectfully). My journalist friends are loyal to AP style, but to be frank, I don’t care what AP has to say about anything, much less commas. Whatever the Associated Press is associated with, it’s not grammatical correctness. Am I going to a concert with my parents, Lady Gaga and Jesus? Or am I going to a concert with my parents, Lady Gaga, and Jesus?
Favorite author or genre?
I enjoy poetry by anyone, but especially Ezra Pound, Robert Frost, Seamus Heaney, and my favorite poet, Mary Oliver.
Recently I’ve been reading more postmodern and post-postmodern poets. My current favorites are Lucille Clifton, Adrienne Rich, and A. E. Stallings, who was recently named the Oxford Professor of Poetry. I knew I had good taste.
Fiction-wise, I most enjoy Gothic literature. My favorite classic novel(la) is Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which I reread every year. This November I plan to finish a Gothic novella of my own, complete with grisly murders, haunted manors, and vampires.
On a separate note, please share any and all ghost stories with me. My messages are open, and I’m in desperate need of a spook.
New feature: Flash fiction!
November is National Novel Writing Month. In celebration of NaNoWriMo, I’ll begin publishing flash fiction in the Notes section of Light After Rain starting next week!
Eventually, I’d like to expand this feature to guest writers. Keep an eye peeled for flash fiction by contributing authors!
And to you and yours—Happy Halloween from Light After Rain.