Co-editor Omar Figueras interviews #BLauthor10 Leah Lederman

"Flapper," by Meg Flannery

Check out Omar's interview with Leah Lederman, with art by Meg Flannery, and stay tuned for a guest post by Leah coming mid-week.

OF: In your story, "Dust to Dust," the nameless main character cares for and attends to the elderly, in life and after death. Her story is replete with fine details and nuances of end of life care. What was the inspiration behind your story? Have you ever worked in in hospice, or have you had a loved one in hospice care?

LL: This story comes directly from a deep-seated neurosis involving cleaning. My home is by no means overly clean, but I have a long history of finding solace and satisfaction in cleaning. My journals as a kid generally included some note like, “When I got home I swept the dining room and washed dishes” (which should also tell you that my childhood was incredibly boring). My first job, starting at age fourteen, was as a night-time cleaning lady. It just so happens that  I worked at a few medical offices. Later in life I worked at one again, not as a cleaner but as an assistant. But this story is about cleaning, not medical care.

Co-ed Stephanie Crets interviews #BLauthor8 R.M.F. Brown

"Sleepytime," by Kelene Karetski

Co-editor Stephanie Crets interviewed #BLauthor8 R.M.F. Brown after we published his short story “Hyacinth” last week. It’s interesting because we don’t often come across writers who don’t claim to be immersed in contemporary lit (don’t most of us usually wear our tedious knowledge of this or that new publication, or this or that obscure indie up-and-comer, on our sleeves?). Brown lives in Scotland, so he’s a bit removed from at least American print mags. Plus, he’s a historian, so he is, in his words, “fascinated with the past.”

Do you think unplugging from the cacophony of modern lit, even for a little while, can be beneficial? Does focusing on one’s own craft more than on what others are crafting isolate or liberate us?

Read the interview and let us know what you think in the comments.