Jack Swenson is an old cowboy who now wrangles words, not herds. He misses the wide open spaces.
He does his keyboard punching in a suburban community south of San Francisco. He is married to a lovely woman who is mother to their seven cats.
---------
Jack Swenson interview with Meg Tuite
Tell us about the inspiration for your three outstanding flash pieces, “The Bicycle, “The Birds” and “Evil Humors.” Each one has a different flavor.
Meg, I’m never inspired. I just grind ‘em out. I stole the idea for the wheel-less bicycle from one of my students. “The Birds” is a true story. My wife went on a weekend getaway with her sister and didn’t have a good time. The lodge they went to is not far from the little community where Hitchcock filmed the movie. “Evil Humors” came about because I am a worrier. I worry about everything. Also, I am a political junky. These days that’s bad news for a worry-wart.
I love that line in “Evil Humors” when the narrator states, “I blame it all on evil humors. Something’s leaking.” That seems to fit for “The Birds,” as well. The narrator is upset with the world at large as well as the small things he encounters. Can you elaborate on this?
Well, I don’t think worrying is irrational. I don’t always take things that occur terribly seriously. What I write about is the Human Comedy. I do get upset, but I don’t stay upset. After a bit of time has passed, I generally see the humor in things. Not everything, but most things, including my own woes and worries.
What are you reading at this time?
I read newspaper columns and stories by the dozens and many of the stories posted in Fictionaut. I am going back over the Fictionaut archives and reading everything. I’m using the alpha listings; I’m up to P so far.
Who would you say are the major influences in your writing career?
No question, Raymond Carver. I loved Hemingway’s short stories, and in college I discovered the short stories of Isaac Babel and the wonderful little prose pieces by the poet William Carlos Williams. But when I read Carver’s “Where I’m Calling From,” I said to myself, “Hey, I can do that!” I can’t do it as well, perhaps, but I can do it.
What are you working on now?
I am continuing to work on a two-volume anthology of my stories. It’s titled Naked Ladies. Both volumes are big books, so they aren’t cheap. You can get them at www.lulu.com. I’m also working on another book called Men Are Beasts. Good title, don’t you think?
---------
In order to preserve the artistic arrangement of the writing, this piece has been created with Print2Flash Flashpaper.