A discussion between Mica Bahn, Meredith Oldham, Yoni Rekem, Claire Seymour and Gab Torres, all of whom wrote creative comps.
All of us worked together as a workshop group to critique each other’s pieces and then improve upon them, so we’re all fairly familiar with everyone’s work. In this Q & A each person introduces their comps project in a few sentences, and then answers three different questions about their artistic choices. At the end, we all go around answering two questions more about the experience than the actual work itself: 1.) How was the comps process for you personally? And 2.) Do you have any advice for those about to go through the comps process?
Gab Torres: My comps, Revising to Forget, is a series of short stories told by Maya, a 21 year old girl embarking on a road trip home after graduating from college. As Maya drives, stories from her past emerge and contribute to her fear of being untethered. Unable to bring her college life home and no longer the girl she was when she graduated high school, Maya begins the process of reinventing herself.
Meredith Oldham: My poetry collection explores the mapping of emotion onto the female body through themes of restlessness, movement, and accumulation.
Mica Bahn: My short story cycle, Come as You Are follows Ramona Stein as she navigates a volatile and dreamy adolescence in New York City.
Yoni Rekem: My comps, a short story cycle called Quiet Houses, follows one character, David, through four moments of trauma at different points in his life.
Claire Seymour: My comps is a short story cycle entitled Yes to Everything. It revolves around a group of high school girls with overlapping experiences, focusing especially on their struggles through friendship, love, and coming of age.
I just love hearing writers and artists discuss their process, and this was a particularly rich discussion. So candid and detailed. Thank you. I appreciate the advice you offer future writers of Creative Comps. Would love to hear more about your future plans as writers.
(a) I love this format for the presentation! It really highlights how something we think of as so individual (creative writing processes and products) are in fact, informed by others: other texts, fellow writers, genres and their histories.
(b) Thanks to all for sharing your work- I enjoyed learning about all of the projects, though it was especially nice to hear about the end result of your work, Meredith! I really enjoyed working with you on these mind-blowing poems.
I really enjoyed listening to you all speaking about your comps, and seeing your familiar faces got me all sentimental and weepy–I miss you!
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go get a tissue.
Great individual and collaborative effort. Kudos to one and all!!!!!
I really enjoyed this panel! You were all so “chill” (informal, relaxed, candid, thoughtful) in talking about your individual stories and poems. I heard, in working with Gab on her stories, about your writing group and I understand now how valuable that seemed to have been. (Having good readers is incredibly helpful — and heartening — for writers.) I hope some future Compsers, considering the Creative option, get a chance to watch this. I’ll definitely direct them to your panel for some valuable insight. Congratulations to you all! (Gab it was a real pleasure working with you.)
What writers – rule#1 of writing, you showed us (rather than telling us) about the collaborative work of writing/revising/responding at the heart of creative writing workshops, and you each came through as your distinct selves, forms, and voices. Many thanks!
So great to hear from all you writers, especially as you enjoy and contribute to the good chemistry of your panel. Thanks for sharing about your Comps projects and process and all you’ve been and brought to 2nd Laird over the last several years. Congratulations!
What a wonderful presentation! I DID listen until the end – no temptation to “leave early.” You each gave fascinating “teasers” about your creative projects and then each was followed with smart questions and thoughtful, provocative answers. Hearing in the end about your process just made me happy – it was a great tribute to peer review and comaraderie – and you gave wise advice to your successors. Thanks for sharing and congratulations!!
A terrific format–it’s great to hear you all talk so thoughtfully and candidly about your work. Your projects sound fascinating, and you do a wonderful job of discussing both your individual and your collaborative processes. Thank you for sharing your work, and congratulations to you all!