Interview Q&A with Anne G
We offer our first and exclusive Q&A Interview with Anne G, a writer whose multiple literary works have been featured on our Spillwords pages as well as being Author of the Month of June, 2016. Anne G is a Brooklynite at heart and likes to think of herself as, “The tree that grew in Brooklyn.” Her writings are multi-faceted, her interests wide ranging, her motto: I write because I am.
- Please tell us a little about yourself and your background?
My Pen Name is Anne G. I was born in Brooklyn, NYC, in an age of innocence. A time in which children could play on the streets, free to run, free to fly, free to give wings to their imaginations.
- Has being from Brooklyn influenced your style of writing? If yes how so?
In my mind’s eye Brooklyn has been the greatest influence in my writing. My Brooklyn Series, My Brooklyn, which is a labor of love, and a work in progress, chronicles the first seventeen years of my life. My experiences as a child and teenager are the very fabric of who I am. The neighborhoods I lived in, and my relationships to the people surrounding me throughout those years are woven into my poems, prose, and many times my commentaries. “You can take the girl out of Brooklyn, but you can’t take Brooklyn out of the girl. : )
- What inspires you to write?
One word. Most times I am inspired to write by a single word. That one word blossoms into a melange of colors, a plethora of words, a symphony of sounds that inspire me to compose the final piece.
- When did you realize you wanted to write?
I have always been a voracious reader, but did not begin to write in earnest until a little under two years ago. I guess you can call me a late bloomer. : )
- Tell us a little bit about your writing process?
My writing process always begins with a single word written with a No. 2 Ticonderoga pencil on a scrap of paper. Most often than not I will walk away and allow the word to germinate, and like a seed that has been sowed in fertile soil, within a short time the one word becomes more words, becomes a thought, becomes the finished piece.
- What would you say is most fulfilling about writing?
Most fulfilling about writing are the feelings evoked during the process. They run the gamut of human emotions.
- Does the addition of imagery help to tell your story?
Very much so. Especially those images found in nature’s majestic flora and fauna. I love this blue marble we call Planet Earth.
- What do you most enjoy reading?
I enjoy reading many genres of literature, in English and in Spanish; poetry, novels, history, science, and newspaper print. A book that had a great impact upon me was The Red Badge of Courage, a novel by Stephen Crane published in 1895. Words are timeless …
- Is there a poet or a writer that has influenced you? If so, in what way?
Throughout my lifetime I have been inspired by many writers and poets. Robert Frost, O’ Henry, Haley, Whitman, Longfellow, Shakespeare, Tennyson, Dickens, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, La Guerre, De Diego, and many, many more. If I had to name one writer it would be Margaret Mitchell and her masterpiece, Gone With The Wind. Its pages are full of imagery; the good, the bad, the ugly and, the beautiful.
- What are your ambitions as a writer?
To poke, prod and, inspire. To speak out against the inequities of society. To elevate the human experience, through poetry, prose and commentary.
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
The next ten years will be a continuation of my journey as a member of the human race, always looking for the right words to write the thoughts that will motivate all those who read them.
- Is there anything else you would like to add?
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Spillwords.com with which, I have been privileged to be associated with since its very inception. To all my fellow poets and writers, past and present, and to the World at large; it is you, who ignite the fire that lives within me.
"Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess." - Oscar Wilde
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