Interview Q&A with Louise Gallagher
We present our first exclusive Q&A Interview with Louise Gallagher, whose literary works have graced our Spillwords pages and earned her the title of June’s 2026 Author of the Month.
- What does it mean to be selected as Author of the Month?
I was in my mid-thirties when my first magazine article was published. It took many more publications before I finally called myself a writer. I’m 72 now, and being named Author of the Month affirms that word. Not as my identity, but as my soul’s calling.
I write because I must.
- How have your friends and/or family influenced your writing?
My father was a beautiful writer, and his love of books taught me to listen for the stories all around me. Later, working in a homeless shelter, I was surrounded by stories of extraordinary resilience. Those voices continue to shape every word I write.
- What inspires and motivates you to write?
Interesting question. I write because I must. Writing is how I make sense of the world and my place within it. It is the currency of my life.
- Can you tell us about the catalyst that sparked your writing journey?
I was 34, pregnant with my second child, and suddenly realized that although I’d always said, “I’m going to be a writer,” I hadn’t published a single word.
With Remembrance Day approaching, I pitched a feature story to a magazine about German prisoners of war who had been interned in Alberta during WWII and later returned to Canada to build new lives. The editor said yes.
Then came the hard part. I had to find them.
I did. The story was published, and those 2500 words changed the course of my life.
Since then, I’ve written for print, radio and television, produced a one-hour documentary for Global National, was the story editor on a feature film, wrote stories for milk cartons, countless OpEds, published a memoir, and am now writing The Caregiver’s Mutiny: Dismantling the Noble Lies of Caregiving.
- Please share a glimpse into your writing process.
My process always begins with silence, either at my desk or in nature.
When I started my first blog in 2007, I committed to writing every day. More than 4,500 posts later, I’ve learned that my greatest task isn’t finding the words; it’s trusting the words.
I usually begin with a question: What is calling to be seen today? Then I listen.
The less I try to direct the words, the more honestly they arrive.
- What do you find most fulfilling about the act of writing?
That a handful of consonants and vowels, shaped by punctuation and imagination, can become a story that reveals something true for me and, I hope, to someone else.
- How does the use of imagery contribute to conveying your story?
For years I struggled with show, don’t tell. Still do. But, imagery invites me to step aside and let the words paint the emotion instead. It allows readers to feel the story rather than simply read it. I like to treat finding the right imagery as a vision quest. And, because I don’t know where the quest is leading me, I must trust the process.
- What is your favorite reading genre?
Non-fiction. Especially books exploring the human mind, human potential, and our capacity for growth. I also enjoy reading travel adventures. And while you didn’t ask, my all-time favourite novel is Lawrence Durrell’s, The Alexandria Quartet.
- What human being has inspired you the most?
A man named Max.
He was a client at the homeless shelter where I worked, though in truth he represents the thousands of people I met there. And the stories they shared with me.
Working in Canada’s largest shelter didn’t inspire me because it was “noble work.” It inspired me because every morning, 1,000 people got up and chose life again. I didn’t always agree with their choices, but every step they took reminded me that the human spirit is astonishingly resilient.
They made me a better human being.
- What message would you have for the Spillwords Press community that voted for you?
I do not take your support lightly.
Writing is a solitary act, so knowing my words have touched people deeply enough for them to vote for me is both humbling and deeply joyful.
Thank you.
- What would you like your legacy as a writer to be?
I hope my writing reminds people of something they have forgotten:
That they were born magnificent.
Life has a way of convincing us otherwise, but I believe our worth is never diminished. If my words help even one person remember their own inherent magnificence, I will have left the legacy I hoped for.
- Is there anything else you would like to add?
For much of my life, I searched for a sense of belonging.
Ironically, it was working alongside people experiencing homelessness that taught me where belonging truly lives. Not only did they trust me with their stories, they showed me that belonging and worth are not found in what we own, what we achieve, or how others see us. It comes from recognizing our inherent worth.
Whether I was sitting with someone sleeping rough or the CEO of a major corporation, the truth remained the same:
Our worth is non-negotiable.
I am worthy.
You are worthy.
We all are.
And one last thing… People often ask where the humour is in my writing. Truthfully, I leave that job to my Sheepadoodle, Beaumont. Every Sunday (well… almost every Sunday) he writes Sundays with Beaumont. He’s wonderfully irreverent. I’m unapologetically reverent. He chases sticks; I chase meaning.
Between us, we’ve discovered that both pursuits are worth the effort.
- Interview Q&A With Louise Gallagher - July 21, 2026
- The Seven-Letter Word - June 11, 2026
- Why Won’t They Stop? - January 8, 2026
