Home
  • About
    • Contact
    • Facebook
  • Red Beard Books
    • Shop
  • The Neutral Zone

Interviews With Red Beard Authors and artists
All interviews are directly transcribed from the author and should be read as their words and sentiments, the views they express do not represent red beard press in any way

Interview With Ethan Cohen, Author of "A Delicate Lesson"

5/15/2016

0 Comments

 

Interview With Ethan Cohen, Author of A Delicate Lesson

  • Question: Could we start off by having you tell me a bit about yourself and your piece?
​​"I am 15 years old and go to Huron High School. In the fall I run Cross Country, and I Wrestle in the winter. I don't really think of myself as much of a writer. I believe that I am much better at math and science, and I have never considered pursuing writing. I actually wrote this piece as an assignment for my 10th grade English class. We were studying how to explode a moment in writing, and I chose to write about the death of my grandmother. I thought that I could capture my experiences immediately following her death and make them timeless."
  • Question: Why was the lesson you learned from your grandmother’s death to put others first? Your story definitely told a story of a woman who meant and achieved a lot for your family, but why did her death remind you of the importance of her struggle?
"My grandmother's death had a surprising sense of finality to me. I had known it was coming, but had never really believed it because she had hidden in from me for so long. When she died it was easier to look back at her life and admire what she had done. I think that I got this lesson from my grandmother because of how much it meant to her that her grandchildren did not see her dying. A certain instance comes to mind the christmas before she died, when she left her oxygen tank at home and suffered for multiple days, just so that no one would see her with it."
  • Question: The terms “erosion” and “submissive” you used interested me, when you saw your grandmother deteriorating, why is this the word you chose to use? Did you see her lose qualities you loved about her? Was she the same woman when she died?
"I chose to use these terms because I though that they accurately described how my grandmother's lifestyle had slowly and methodically caught up with her. The erosion was mostly physical because her personality definitely did not [become] dull as the rest of her did. She seemed to have accepted her fate, as she made no effort to quit smoking. In terms of her personality and the important qualities she possessed, she was the same person when she died."
  • Question: The idea of smoke masked by perfume is a theme which has popped up in other pieces which accompany yours in Pufferfish, how do you feel about the similar smells which mean so much to you being tied to someone else’s entirely separate life?
"I think that the theme that I wrote about is definitely not just applicable to my life. Perfume masking smoke can be symbolic of so many different things, and I am not surprised that others wrote about similar things. It is special to write about something which others can look at and relate to."

To learn more about Ethan, A Delicate Lesson, and his writing or art, check out the First Edition of Pufferfish at the Neutral Zone's Shopify (link here)

0 Comments

Interview with Deanna Gibson, Author of "She Left Before I Could Love Her"

5/6/2016

0 Comments

 

Interview with Deanna Gibson, Author of She Left Before I Could Love Her

  • Question: Could we start off by having you tell me a bit about yourself and your piece?
"I'm 18 years old and I go to Huron High School. I started writing seriously freshman year of high school. Ever since then I've been writing short fiction and poetry."
  • Question: Your piece seems to cover a lot about mental illness and familial struggles all at once. Can you tell me a bit more about the emotions you developed through this piece? To me I felt this sort of rushed-explanation-type story, almost as if the narrator had to tell the series of events often and had memorized a response.
"I'm not really sure how to answer that. I just wanted to tell a sad story. I don't force myself to have a big plan before I write I just use the stream-of-consciousness method to get started. This isn't something I experienced but I just enjoy telling stories. The topic of experiencing what you write comes up a lot though. It reminds me of an article called I Am Not My Poem which mentions that writers are not restricted by their experiences."
  • Question: You had a paragraph towards the end where you said, “Eventually puffy eyes grew tired of the moon. It was time to stop waiting for useless fantasies. Time for a realistic solution,” could you tell me a bit more about this section? Why did you include the moon as a piece in the partial-climax of the story?
"I don't actually know. It was just something that popped into my head. People often look up at the moon and I just played with that idea."

To learn more about Deanna, She Left Before I Could Love Her, and her writing, check out the First Edition of Pufferfish at the Neutral Zone's Shopify (link here)

0 Comments

Interview With Hannah Zonnnevylle, Author of "Three Haiku"

5/3/2016

0 Comments

 

Interview With Hannah Zonnnevylle, Author of Three Haiku

  • Question: Could we start off by having you tell me a bit about yourself and your pieces?
"My name is Hannah Zonnevylle and I go to Pioneer High School. I love to write but it’s never something I’ve done seriously or considered myself good at. It helps me think and process things. Sometimes it feels like I have too many thoughts jumping around in my head at one time so it helps me to write them out. Haikus are especially helpful because of their restrictions; they force you to think about what words you really actually want to use and what thoughts and messages you want to convey. The haikus that appear in Pufferfish were ones that I wrote last spring. I wrote a ton of them when I was going through a tough time and they helped me to process my feelings and I enjoyed creating the art in the process."
  • Question: You have three Haiku, all of them focus on the idea of heartbreak. Are these meant to be read together?
"No, the haikus are not meant to be read to together. While they all focus on the same topic and I wrote them in the same general time frame, they are not a series or anything, just similar thoughts from different times."
  • Question: The first Haiku seems to talk about this love in a disposable sort of way, why did you decide to speak about it in this way?
"I’m not sure that I meant to refer to the love as disposable, more just a love that no longer exists but is still a part of you. I think that’s what I meant when I referred to the love as 'leftover.' I chose to speak about it in that way because that’s what it essentially was to me. The love itself was gone however there were still traces of it that I felt."
  • Question: The other two seem to to be building off of that idea. The “yet” in the second piece the “but now” seem to diffuse the attention to this emotion as important. What went into the decision of releasing the energy of love in the piece? (that sounded a lot cheesier than I wanted it to.) Why did you decide to draw the reader away from the narrator? ​
"The use of 'yet' in the second piece I think was to alert the reader that being in love brings so much fulfillment that it’s easy for one to forget all the other important things that keep happening. Love is such a powerful energy that I think it would have been a huge oversight on my part to not release it (I didn’t really know I released its power but I’m glad I did!). I decided to draw the reader away from the narrator because love affects so much more than one person and I wanted to acknowledge that."
  • Question: In most poems about love it is compared to great and insurmountable things, were your short Haiku intended to be read as vast or close and personal?
"My short haikus were meant to be personal but I’m sure they are relatable to other people!"

To learn more about Hannah, Three Haiku, and her writing, check out the First Edition of Pufferfish at the Neutral Zone's Shopify (link here)

0 Comments

Interview With Tori Hood, Photographer Responsible for "Colors"

5/3/2016

0 Comments

 

Interview With Tori Hood, Photographer Responsible for Colors

  • Question: Could we start off by having you tell me a bit about yourself and your piece?
"I just take photos for fun, and I love the natural beauty of the earth. My piece was taken at Kitch-iti-kipi, its Michigans largest natural freshwater spring located in the upper peninsula." 
  • Question: Why did you start taking photographs? Am I correct in the fact that this piece was originally called Swamp? Why did you decide to change what you called it? Is there any particular meaning to this piece which really stuck with you and influenced your decision to publish it?
"I started taking pictures in 6th grade with my best friend Will Brinkerhoff, he had a nikon and I was so jealous of how good he was at taking pictures, and still is today! I never named my photo swamp it was just a mix up, I actually called it colors because of how beautiful and colorful the spring was."
  • Question: Can you tell me a bit about your artistic style and the techniques you use in your photography?
"I like to shoot bright colorful places and stuff that isn't so regular, mostly busy looking things. I like taking pictures of natural beauty on the planet that spark happiness in the viewers soul!"
  • Happiness in the viewers soul is a good artistic goal. Thank you for your time.

To learn more about Tori, Colors, and her art, check out the First Edition of Pufferfish at the Neutral Zone's Shopify (link here)

0 Comments

Interview with Leika Hillebrand, creator of "Story"

5/3/2016

0 Comments

 

Interview with Leika Hillebrand, creator of Story

  • Question: Could we start off by having you tell me a bit about yourself and your piece?
"Well, I'm 15 and I go to Pioneer. I love theatre and all music. I love sitting outside on my porch to write music, and hanging out with my cats and my siblings."
  • Question: Can you describe your development as a musician? What does the song Story mean to you? Where does your inspiration come from for the lyrics you’ve written?
"I started playing piano in third grade and then Cello in fifth grade. I ended up quitting both in 9th grade. But picking up piano again this year. I also started playing ukulele and a little bit of guitar. Story was a song the I wrote this song about a family friend who is in her 80's. She fell in love and when her husband died when they were young, she never dated anyone else because she's still in love with him. She is still alive. But the song is dedicated to them." 
  • Question:  Do you have a musical artist who inspires you a lot? If so, who and why?
"When I was little, Adele inspired me a lot because she was a curvy alto just like I was. Now however, my main inspiration is a band called The Accidentals. They started when they were 15, and the lyrics in their songs are amazing." 
  • Question: You have the unique ability to be able to record and produce music at a very young age, do you see this leading into your later life? How do you plan to develop your skills as an artist?
"This is an amazing experience. Since I was little, I've wanted to record music. For a long time it seemed unrealistic. Now however, it seems like it might actually be able to happen. My sisters friend has some recording equipment and he said he would be interested in recording some of my songs. I play on learning and writing a lot more in the future."

To learn more about Leika, Story, and her writing or music, check out the First Edition of Pufferfish at the Neutral Zone's Shopify (link here) or check out the link to the Pufferfish album here.

0 Comments

Interview With Cecilia Shoopmann, author of the "Globoe" series

5/3/2016

0 Comments

 

Interview With Cecilia Shoopmann, author of the Globoe series and photographer responsible for Between Here and Home, Huron River Near Spring, On The Floor of an Abandoned Cement Factory, and Rocks Have Feelings Too

  • Question:  Could we start off by having you tell me a bit about yourself and your piece?
​"Of course! I'm Cecilia Shoopmann, 18 years old, and I've moved at least 13 times in my life across three states and six cities. I love dogs and animals and writing. My piece, Globoe sort of came together on accident. There was a prompt during Short Story Workshop like, a year ago or something, and the initial poem that created this town, sort of shot up and became a thing. I've moved a lot, and so the idea of having someplace that can move(although this is never mentioned in either of my pieces, haha) was kind of great to me. Globoe is always changing and growing and evolving, and it's something I'm usually working on." 
  • Question: Why did you decide the focus of your pieces would be personified buildings? Are they personified or is this how buildings really are in California? Why did you decide to make them fall in love?
"In the initial poem, there was a line, 'love letters from the skyscraper to the red house' and my group of friends really, really liked that line, so I thought, 'I guess I have to run with that line, people seem to like it.' And that's what I did. They are definitely personified, haha. Buildings in California, although overwhelming at times, haven't talked in my presence. I wanted them to fall in love, because I don't know if I've ever experienced love, and by writing about it, I think I'm explaining what I want love to be. These buildings are in love to be in love. (Even though it's my story) I think it's kinda beautiful." 
  • Question: I like the fact that humans both are and are not relevant in these stories. Why did you end up putting so much emphasis on inanimate objects? Do you think your bedroom is in love with another part of your home? When you wrote these stories were you looking to create the illusion of distance between the city & it’s people. I sort of want to know more about the conflict/peaceful life of the buildings and the people/how they interact. Why does your character hate the love between the skyscraper and the red house? And why do the buildings take on such a parental role? 
​"I focus mostly on inanimate objects because I hate naming characters, and when I have objects I can refer to them as what they are, I don't have to stick a name on something. I also think it gives the reader a lot of freedom when they read it. They don't have to stick with a name I give them, like if the Skyscraper was human, it wouldn't be called Bob or George or Peter (well, maybe Peter, I haven't named it as a human), but the reader can call it whatever. I basically focus on buildings because naming people stresses me out.
Uh, I don't think my room is in love with another part of my house. My room is a reflection of me, so it's just messy and almost refuses to love haha. 
I think I was trying to create the distance subconsciously, but it didn't occur to me in the process. Most of what I write happens late, late at night, and I don't do much thinking about deeper meanings, they just sort of happen, you know?
So, there are three houses and a skyscraper in Globoe, but really two of the houses are irrelevant. They have no impact on the story, and at this point, in my mind, they have been abandoned and the tenants moved into the Skyscraper. The Skyscraper has become an almost God-like figure in Globoe.  It magically provides things to the population inside, it provides water, energy, food, light, oxygen, and a place to live and survive, and no one in the Skyscraper thinks twice about it. They are rather complacent in their life, they are very cattle-like. Addison, the only named character in this town, live the the Red House, and she hates the Skyscraper with a passion. She is almost consumed by it, because she doesn't have the benefit of fitting or living in the Skyscraper, so she's very much on the outside of things. No one in the skyscraper knows it's in love, no one knows there is an outside world. With Addison, I can easily give the reader what it's like to (literally) be on the outside of things. She's lonely, and I really want the reader to see that. Nothing much is ever said about Addison's home life, just that she hates the Skyscraper because it's in love with her house, and they talk all night, so she can't sleep. In my eyes, Addison's parents have either died or moved into the Skyscraper. This, in Addison's eyes is a huge betrayal, and so she's left with this void where her parents once were. The Skyscraper and Red House fill the sort of gap in 'Love Letters.' 'Love Letters' is like their origin story, the 'how we met' story parents tell their children, the first date stories, the first adventures, not only is it a love story, to Addison it's how she was left and then picked up by parental beings. Maybe Addison's parents are the Skyscraper and Red House, who knows? Either way, Addison is so full of resentment towards the two buildings, that she doesn't know what to do with it. She's full of emotion with no where to go. 
Did that answer your question? Haha... Sorry, it became really rambling and long winded."
  1. No yeah it did thank you. Question: If you had to describe the photos you took as a part of this inter-play, would they fit in or would they be strangers to this lil town?
"Oh goodness, I have to remind myself which photos were accepted. Rocks Have Feelings Too and Huron River Near Spring would be strangers. They are two parts of nature that don't exist near Globoe. Globoe is very much a barren, desert town, without much to it. Honestly, if the buildings didn't talk, no one would care. Between Here and Home would be somewhere in this town, maybe in the Skyscraper, maybe in Addison's heart, maybe it's even what the Skyscraper is made of. And finally, On The Floor of an Abandoned Cement Factory (wow that's a long title, haha) is what Globoe grew from." 

To learn more about Cecilia, Globoe, and her writing or art, check out the First Edition of Pufferfish at the Neutral Zone's Shopify (link here)

0 Comments

Interview with Carson Borbely, Author of "Medication"

5/2/2016

0 Comments

 

Interview with Carson Borbely, Author of Medication
Interview questions by Clara Kaul

  • Question: could you start off by telling me a little bit about yourself and your piece?
My name is Carson Marie Borbely and I like a lot of things and people, especially musicology, leaf boats, and books by Miranda July. The piece I have in Pufferfish, Medication, is a poem I've been trying to write for a while. It came out more easily than I expected it to. I'd say the poem took about 20 minutes to write, but I've been tinkering with it for a while now. The ending is probably the part I have had the most pause and doubt about, and I find myself performing it slightly differently every time. Medication was also selected to win the One Pause Emerging Writers Contest, which surprised and excited me.
  • Question: as a writer a mentally ill writer myself, I often notice my illness affecting my writing in ways I didn't intend or expect, but when I try to write directly about it, it ends up being elusive or vague. Do you have this problem? How do you work around it? How do you approach writing w and about mental illness in general?
I do my best to say something straight out when something is difficult to say. It can be incredibly hard to be honest even in honest poetry. I think bringing authenticity to poems in a simple way can lay things bare and often be the most impactful way. It's easy to hide things in language, to stick them in metaphor. This is something I revise and counteract in myself. A certain amount of privacy is important in writing, but what I generally ask myself is, is the thing I want to say going to be helpful to someone else? One of the hardest things about struggling with mental illness is feeling invisible, feeling isolated. I think art, especially writing, can be a good way to shatter the illusion of isolation that chokes and silences many.
  • Question: do/how do you plan on continuing writing in the future? 
This fall, I'll be attending Washington University in St. Louis. I'm excited to pursue writing there not only through taking poetry classes but also participating in WUSlam and the slam community of greater St. Louis. I also plan to minor in writing if I can manage it. WashU has creative writers study focuses outside of their preferred disciplines, for example, I'd probably have to take courses in creative nonfiction and fiction. I hope I can keep writing for a long time. I don't intend to make writing my livelihood, but I feel gifted and happy to be able to manipulate and interact with language in a satisfactory way, and I'd like to continue doing so.

To learn more about Carson, Medication, and their writing, check out the First Edition of Pufferfish at the Neutral Zone's Shopify (link here)

0 Comments

Interview With Annie Else, Author of "Inevitable Encounters"

4/29/2016

0 Comments

 

Interview With Annie Else, Author of Inevitable Encounters

  • Question: Could we start off by having you tell me a bit about yourself and your piece?
"I’m Annie Else and I’ve lived in Ann Arbor my whole life. I’m interested in english, french, and political science and I love to travel. I am very much an observer of the world around me so my writing usually stems from what I have seen or felt. I go to Pioneer High School, and wrote this piece for Mr. Sabo’s English class. I find the differences of seasons beautiful and wanted to explore what they would be like as people. The characteristics of each season I write about are what I believe embody the feelings and aspects of Summer and Fall."
  • Question: Why did you decide to create a friendship between your characters of Summer and Fall?
"I wanted to have Summer and Fall be friends because I wanted to show the dynamic relationship between the two distinct seasons. As seasons and as people, there is a push and pull between them. They know they will always be friends even if they don’t always see each other. Their friendship is natural." 
  • Questions: You have an ongoing difference between the characters wherein Summer likes the warmth and the sun, but of course, Fall prefers the chill heading towards winter. However in the scene when you have Summer and Fall having fun in a river, there is a point where the cold goes to Fall’s heart and they have to get out and dry on the side of the river. Could you talk to me a bit more about this scene?
​​"This scene is a bit of a revelation for both of the characters. Summer realizes she needs to enjoy the last few days of warmth and freedom. Fall is brought along and attempts to enjoy the fun, however, he realizes that change is coming soon. The cold shocks him into a painful yet tranquil state that makes him come to terms with the imminent change." 
  • Question: Do you see yourself in these characters? Which do you feel more connected to?
"I can definitely see myself in both of these characters, but more so in Fall. I think Summer is carefree and a dreamer. I find myself to be more of a realist like the character I created for Fall." 

To learn more about Annie, Inevitable Encounters, and her writing, join us at the release of The First Edition of Pufferfish Magazine, in which she is featured, Saturday, April 30th at 310 E. Washington St. ​(see Facebook event for more details)

0 Comments

Interview with Caroline Cerilli, Author of "Finding Courage"

4/29/2016

0 Comments

 

Interview with Caroline Cerilli, Author of Finding Courage

  • Question: Could we start off by having you tell me a bit about yourself and your piece?
​"I am a sophomore at Huron High School. My favorite activity is being involved in Huron Players, and I usually do costumes. It’s such a fun way to meet new friends and put together a cool show. My piece, Finding Courage, was originally written for an English assignment. When I heard about the Pufferfish submissions, I decided to work on it further and really consider my characters. Actually, I had come up with my characters for an 8th grade writing prompt but I never gave them enough time to build them a full story. I’m really glad I finally got them on paper!" 
  • Question: Why did you write a story based around fictional characters manifested in reality? It sort of reminds me of one of the other pieces we are featuring, Getting A Grip On Reality.
"I wrote about fictional characters in the real world because when developing Marjory’s character, I wasn’t sure if she was actually kept busy by all of her characters or if she just imagined them around her to keep her company. I wanted to leave it sort of ambiguous. It’s not really clear if Eloise and Max are truly there." 
  • Question: Why did you decide to make your main character, Marjory, a children’s book author? She seems discontent with the fact she cannot write about all the things she is interested in. It is interesting that the “darkness” which she never had to opportunity to write about is the thing that tries to take her main protagonist from Marjory.
"I made Marjory a children’s book author because I imagined her as someone with a sad childhood and young adult life. I wrote Max to portray that part of her old self, troubled and negative. As Marjory got older, she learned to be happy, and she wanted to make sure that other kids would always be able to have that feeling. I don’t think Marjory is dissatisfied with her writing, so much as she has moved beyond her past and doesn’t want to revisit it. Darkness was like a symbol for her younger years, and at the end of the story she is finally able to be free of it." 
  • Question: How do you think these characters which you created as a part of your story would behave if they lived with you?
"If Max and Eloise lived with me, I think they would be a handful! Marjory sympathies with Max a lot, but his pessimistic attitude could get pretty annoying. I like Max, but I think he would be very frustrating to deal with as he is very purposefully contrary. I relate more to Eloise and her nervous but never dispirited perspective. They would both certainly keep me busy!"

To learn more about Caroline, Finding Courage, and her writing, join us at the release of The First Edition of Pufferfish Magazine, in which she is featured, Saturday, April 30th at 310 E. Washington St. ​(see Facebook event for more details)

0 Comments

Interview with Yuchen Yang, Author of "Teens Deserve More Sleep"

4/22/2016

0 Comments

 

Interview with Yuchen Yang, Author ofTeens Deserve More Sleep

  • Question:  Could we start off by having you tell me a bit about yourself and your piece?
"About myself, I am a sophomore at Pioneer High School. This piece is written for my journalism class on a topic that I have long intended to write about. I take three AC classes, I play the French horn in band and piano at home. I am in Science Olympiad and I have other school activities so you could say I am quite busy. As a perfectionist, I stay up quite often, especially when I have a project.
So when my teacher told us this editorial needs to be a topic the students would care about, I immediately thought of this topic. I did research on the pressure high school students faced across the nation and methods schools came up to battle this phenomenon. I also did interviews with others in school to see what their opinions are. Then I wrote this piece expressing my view."
  • Question: Your piece reminds me a lot of another piece which will accompany yours in Pufferfish, Alice Hill’s An Open Letter To My Bed, when I interviewed her I talked to her a bit about the complete overwhelming aspect of the work load we sometimes have to get through in one night. In your piece there is a quote, “(She) often reaches a breaking point around 11 p.m., when she collapses in tears. For 10 minutes or so, she just sits at her desk and cries, overwhelmed by unrelenting school demands.” Do you have any thoughts on the complete and utter hopelessness teenagers and college students are faced with when they sometimes have to make choices between their physical ability to function and the work they need to complete? Do you have any floating thoughts or comments you would like to contribute to the present conversation in Alice’s piece?
"I loved Alice's piece, the way she described her desperation and longing is very accurate and expressive. I think her words reflects the emotion and struggle of many teenagers. The work needed for "success", whatever that means to each individual, is sometimes more than the amount one is comfortable with. Good grades, sports medals, higher bands, admission into a dream college... none of these can be easily achieved and all of them demands a vast amount of commitment. Moreover, as teens, social aspects of life are very important, there must be some time spent on phones and hanging out with friends. So the amount of homework will seem to be overwhelming and if not carefully organized they can build up and crush on you like a mountain. Just as Alice said she must, so she sits on."
  • Question: How have you dealt with this balance? Do you have any advice for those struggling with balancing health with work load?
"I personally have to deal with the sleeping problem. I have a lot of home work and it is my habit to listen to music to get me into the mood. So I often find myself leaving my desk after 10:00 and walk to music corner to practice horn for band. Sometimes I worked until so late that my parents ordered me to bed. I have been trying to push my weekend schedule a little tighter so I can take care of stuff that will bother me during the week. I also created a priority list and a to-do list to keep me updated on what I should do next to meet maximum efficiency. Both of these strategies have worked, at least I don't have to sleep at midnight everyday now. However, I still sleep pretty late.
I know people who are in worse situations. One sophomore I know takes AP US History, a course notorious for its terms and amount of homework, and he swims for Pioneer... and plays viola. There are others pushing 3 o'clock limit and I know seniors who have pulled all-nighters. They are all very good students and wonderful people. The school definitely bears some responsibility for these problems, they should help the students and change the school starting time to ensure the students' health.
I think I will just say be organized and plan your time well. Don't give up on your dreams but don't let it drag you down."

To learn more about Yuchen, Teens Deserve More Sleep, and his writing, join us at the release of The First Edition of Pufferfish Magazine, in which he is featured, Saturday, April 30th at 310 E. Washington St. ​(see Facebook event for more details)

0 Comments
<<Previous

    Archives-

    May 2016
    April 2016

    Search by category-

    All
    Pufferfish
    Pufferfish Magazine

Red Beard Press is proudly supported BY The Neutral Zone
Contact us at: molly@neutral-zone.org
301 E Washington St, Ann Arbor, MI, 48103

  • About
    • Contact
    • Facebook
  • Red Beard Books
    • Shop
  • The Neutral Zone