molly gaudry interview

8/14/2019 Molly Gaudry Interview

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P. H. Madore: What drives you to follow this thing wecall 'Internet literature' and less-commercial stuff

generally?

Molly Gaudry: Well, I try to keep up with the more-commercially, traditionally published literature, too,

but I can't really afford to buy a lot of subscriptions.

One of these days, when I've got a bit more cash flow,

I'll probably subscribe to more university-affiliatedjournals than I do currently.

!at said, I came to Internet literature after having

discovered Blake Butler's story, "!e Gown from

Mother's Stomach" in Ninth Letter. I liked his story so

much I read his bio, which directed me to his blog, and

from there I was able to link to and read his online

stories and poems. While reading his work, I discovered

other writers whose names I saw over and over again --

Kim Chinquee comes especially to mind. !ese writers

are responsible for introducing me to Internet

literature. Once introduced, it was impossible not to fall

in love. And not just with their stories and poems but

with the writers themselves, their sense of community,

their willingness to promote each other, share each

others' words. !e desire to be a part of their

community is in small part what kept me coming back

(daily, weekly) to Internet literature; and, now that I


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am a part of it, I feel it is my duty and privilege to keep

following it, to follow it every day.

PHM: How long have you been doing this?

MG: Butler's story was published in the summer of

2008. In July, I began to submit stories and poems to

online journalsLamination Colony, Titular, Robot

Melon, UpRightDown, and Keyholeto name a few.

PHM:What is a "Green City Joint"?MG: A "Green City Joint" is a story or poem featuring acharacter with some connection to Green City. What's

Green City? It's the fictional location where the

majority of my work is set. Matriarchal and matrilineal,

Green City is a place run by two ruling classes:

Survivors and womben. Survivors are descendants of

the thirteen founding mothers, and womben have

advantages we women here in the real world simply

don't havelike full and total control over our bodies,

our reproductive rights.

Additionally, Green City is a geographic

phenomenon (I was lucky enough to design its

topography and landforms with the help of urban

planners at the University of Cincinnati's Design Art


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Architecture and Planning program, as well as

doctoral students in the Geography department). !ere

are four quadrants, each with its own weather system

(think the United States, without the midwest). !ereare mountains in the northwest; the southwest is desert;

the southeast is sub-tropical, and the northeast is the

land of four seasons. All within a hundred-mile radius,

Green City is a tourist's haven. !e local / tourist,

natural / unnatural, and womben / women binariesprovide the bases for much of my work's dramatic

conflicts.

At this time, I'm still working out kinks, but I'm

hoping my first novel will really bring the city to life,

which will then give greater context and provide more

relevant backstories to many of my currently published

short fictions. For instance, one of the founding

mothers, Ivy Oe, has a street named after her in Lasttime it rained this hard the dog drowned (LaminationColony), and has a great-great granddaughter, Loretta

Oe, in Apple Baby Moses Law (Robot Melon). !esestories, the womben in them, are not unconnected.

PHM: What setsWillows Wept Reviewapart and moreimportantly what setsWillows Wept Pressapart?

MG: I think what sets Willows Wept Reviewapart from


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other nature writing venues is that it tries to redefine

the old model of "nature writing." I tend to accept

stories and poems that seem as if they'd have a difficult

time finding homes in more traditional nature-themedjournals. As a reader, I enjoy elements of surrealism,

magical realism, irrealism, and fantasy. I believe these

elements, when utilized to explore, celebrate, or

problematize the relationship between human beings

and the natural world, often yield a greater appreciationfor natureif for no other reason than that the recasting

of nature in these bizarre roles helps to defamiliarize and

remind us to rethink our own relationships with and

understanding of nature.

I'm not sure what sets the press apart from others.

I started it because there were writers out there whose

work I wanted to support, to publish in book form. I

doubt any other small presses felt any differently when

they began. WWPis simply another venue. !ere is no

particular theme or motive but the common practice of

publishing excellence.

PHM:Where does the name come from?MG: Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's OwnOn thefurther bank the willows wept in perpetual

lamentation, their hair about their shoulders.


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PHM: What do you do for a living?

MG: I work for a non-profit literacy organization and

teach three GED classes: the first services women whohave been incarcerated and now live in a halfway house;

the second services men, post-incarceration, on the

men's side of the facility; and the third services parents

of children at an elementary school (here, one of our

goals is to help parents help their children withhomework).

PHM: Are you for or against any of the many dividing

lines in the literary world (like MFA/non?)

MG: I'm not entirely sure I understand this question.

Regarding the MFA issue, and what I think you might

be getting at, I'm probably for divisions. Specifically, I

like to see dedication to one's chosen craft. Degrees

BAs, BFAs, MAs, MFAs, Ph.Dsseem indications that

those who've earned them have at some point made

bold and risky decisions to devote years of their lives to

the study of craft with the intention of hoping to

become better (or at least more educated). As an

educator of adult learners, adults who have not had the

benefits of education beyond junior high or high school,

I have an appreciation for learning, for those who want


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to learn, for those who demonstrate their willingness

and desire to study, to struggle, to succeed.

PHM: How emotionally involved do you feel to yourGmail inbox?

MG: I feel like the answer can be found in Linda

Pastan's poem, Marks. Replace husband, son, and

daughter with Gmail; replace all the domestic choreswith Gmail functions, and there you have it: Wait 'til

Gmail learns / I'm deleting my account.

PHM: What is your most played song in iTunes?

MG: I recently lost all of my iTunes because my old

laptop died. I've yet to begin replacing my music

(Pandora's good enough for now), but if I had to guess

I'd say my most played song was Ani DiFranco's Dilate.

A close second, either Cat Power's Good WomanorJoni

Mitchell's Blue.

PHM: If you had ten writers who sounded exactly the

same but were all good because of it and one writer who

was slowly improving but sounded different, which

would you promote?


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MG: I would promote the one, out of the ten, who has

the strongest track record of promoting others. Super

extra tireless promotion from me if that person has

helped to promote the one writer who was slowlyimproving. Privately, I would send encouragement to

the slow improver.

PHM: Why do you useBlogspot?

MG: !e first blogs I ever readBlake Butler's,

Porochista Khakpour's, and Kim Chinquee'swere

all at Blogspot.

PHM: What movie have you watched more than five

times?

MG: Anything Pixar and the first Harry Potter.

PHM: If you could trade your soul for anything, what

would it be?

MG: A good man who never makes me wonder if I

missed the boat and should've kept looking; a couple of

terrific adopted kids; a couple of terrific adopted adults

(just because they're adults and out of the orphanage

doesn't mean they aren't looking for a family, a home);


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a relaxed, happy lifestyle that allows us all to summer in

a cabin by a pond we call a lake.

PHM: If you were alive during his time and WillyShakespeare plagiarized you, what would you have

done about it?

MG: Told him to stand still while I used his head to

perfect my T-ball skills.

PHM: In this for the long haul?

MG:Totally.

PHM: Want to get a drink

sometime?

MG: Of course! I like my martinis made with vodka.

Extra dirt. What's with you trying to develop a huge

following of ladies? Madoreable!


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Mentionables:

Molly Gaudry

mollygaudry.blogspot.com

Willows Wept Review

willowsweptreview.blogspot.com

Willows Wept Press

willowsweptpress.blogspot.com

Twelve Stories

readtwelvestories.com

Keyhole

keyholemagazine.com

Robot Melon

robotmelon.com

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molly gaudry interview

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