How would you characterize the influence of your YWW experience in your life?
Most obviously, Young Writers made me get a lot better at writing, both when I was a student under two very talented poetry teachers, and later, when I was a teacher of songwriting racing to keep up with my very talented students. More importantly though, Young Writers exposed me to a beautiful little sliver of the world – a sliver filled with creative thinkers, willing to work hard for what they loved. Knowing that communities like that existed was crucial because it made me realize I wasn’t alone as a writer - & has made it easier to continue to find those communities around me.
What’s the best advice you can give a Young Writer (in general or in your specific genre)?
It only takes 30 minutes or an hour of your day to be a writer. If you want to prove your dedication to writing, find something you’re wasting that small amount of time on and commit it instead to writing.
What do you find yourself most often reading or listening to lately and why?
I spend most of my reading time knocking out my subscription to the New Yorker, but also recently loved a book set in rural Virginia, not so far from Young Writers – The Known World. The scope of the book – from the largest sweep to minutest detail was incredible. I’ve been listening to a lot of Van Morrison, Paul Curreri’s great record “California”, a lot of instrumental stuff, & Music from the Big Pink by The Band. I suppose the intersection of those two things is that I also just read Levon Helm’s [The Band’s drummer and singer] splendid autobiography!
