Author: Mary Akers

Before I began writing full time, I was a production potter. I strove to create beautiful work that was also functional. For me, beauty and function have never been separate ideals. A pitcher that is easy to lift and pours a smooth stream of liquid without dripping is beautiful for how it becomes an extension…

Cliff Garstang has a great post about keeping hope alive as a writer: Don’t Give Up! Truly, mental fortitude in the writing business is as important as the writing itself, especially in the beginning. As Fred Leebron counseled us during our MFA program, “Writing is a game of attrition. Don’t attrish.” I’m very pleased to…

I am a huge, slavering fan of Margaret Atwood’s work. I first read The Handmaid’s Tale in 1985, and it took the top of my head off. Thereafter, I read everything of hers I could get my hands on. The Double Voice, the poem she graciously permitted us to print in this issue, became a…

I am counting down. I have given myself a timetable and my end date is September 15th. One week to go. This is the date I have told myself I must be done. I’ve completed nine other revisions on this novel, but this last one is a biggie. New title, new ending, new character names,…

At the r.kv.r.y. blog. Here’s an excerpt: MA: I’ve read that you feel one of your themes to be “the redemptive power of art.” I love that. It makes so much sense to me, but I’m wondering if you could extrapolate on that for our readers. DL: I’ll say this inadequately, as neither a scholar…