Stephanie Bryant Anderson lives in Tennessee with her two boys. She has been published in several print and online journals across the US and Europe.
She enjoys poetry, writing, reading, wine, words, dictionaries, blankets, breezes, wildflowers, red bicycles and small bookshops.
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Stephanie Bryant Anderson interview with Meg Tuite
Anything you would like to share with our readers about the inspiration for these flash pieces?
These three pieces were inspired by a common theme, escape. They all three take very different forms of escape, however.
Do you have a writing schedule you adhere to and/or any tricks you might want to share with your readers?
As a single mother I do not have a writing schedule, I wish that I did. But writing is a necessity for me, so I make the time. I write whenever I can, which could be at work, or in the car. To me, the most important and affective thing in writing is to show yourself openly and fully, to not hide yourself. It is important to make the writing full, and as round as you can.
What book are you reading at this time?
I am reading Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison. I love her writing style, her descriptions and her characters.
Name the top two or three most influential writers of your writing career and maybe a line or two telling us why.
The two biggest influences for me have been Flannery O'Connor and Erskine Caldwell. O'Connor has that pivotal dark scene in her stories that literally can turn your stomach, and you know everything is about to change for the worst. Erskine Caldwell fused humor with social commentary, his stories are remarkable because of his characters; they are grotesque, funny, and clearly shocking. Both writers are physically affecting, and their writing sticks with you long after you've stopped reading.
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In order to preserve the artistic arrangement of the writing, this piece has been created with Print2Flash Flashpaper.