A collection of articles, essays, and interviews offering a glimpse into the lives of authors of memoir and creative nonfiction. I use a variety of interview formats to help writers uniquely and reflectively discuss their lives and their projects.
An introduction to author Rose Gluck: An Interview by Alexia Montibon-Larsson
I met Rose Gluck on Wattpad while reading her memoir, What Remains Inside. Gluck's story is a brutally honest, vivid account of growing up with a narcissistic and violently abusive mother who suffered from severe mental illness. Told from the perspective of Donna (Gluck's real name), What Remains Inside provides a cinematic view of her turbulent teenage years in New England during the early 1980s. Donna haphazardly navigates through her life, trying to escape unhappiness by hanging out with friends while continually finding herself adrift in potential danger, unprotected and uncared for. Despite being subjected to harrowing physical, emotional and psychological abuse, Donna miraculously endures. What Remains Inside is a powerful, moving tale of survival in the face of relentless fear and despair.
As a prolific writer, Gluck has also written many plays and novels and regularly blogs here on Wordpress under the title "Words and Pictures." Her blog posts reflect her interest in everything from antiques and estate sales to personal explorations and the work of other non-fiction writers and memoirists. Historical research and period details inform Gluck's work whether fiction or non-fiction.
Gluck's book, Exuberance Is Beauty tells the story of Eve Miller, a World War II widow living in Oregon. She finds herself caught in a volatile relationship with a manipulative lover, Jeff, who seeks to control her life and destroy her reputation. After being forced into a mental asylum for presumed "hysteria" and "melancholia," Eve encounters an undercover journalist posing as a patient, a character based upon real life journalist, Nellie Bly. Eve, like Donna, is subjected to terrifying abuse and must find her own way to deter the seemingly inescapable cruelty that follows her and threatens to rob her of happiness. The first in a series of books chronicling the lives of Eve and Jeff, Exuberance Is Beauty beautifully captures the complexity of emotional entanglement and transports the reader into Eve's world. Gluck's writing is itself a thing of exuberant beauty: poetic, mesmerizing and lovingly descriptive.
It has been a wonderful experience getting to know Donna. As we approach Thanksgiving week, I would like to give thanks to Donna for her kindness and interest as I am indeed thankful for her friendship. She had reached out to me a few months ago and asked to interview me for Words and Pictures. This is my chance to return the favor not only because I am grateful for the opportunity that she gave me but also because I am genuinely curious to find out more about her writing processes. I have asked Donna to share whatever she would like with regard to these interview questions. Let's see what she has to say!
Interview Q & A:
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1) Your writings as well as your blog posts reflect your interest in estate sales, old photographs, letters and various artifacts that define particular eras. What is it about antiques and artifacts that captures your imagination?
When I was little we lived in an old house in Massachusetts, walking distance to a small beach and across the street from a harbor. My parents rented the house and although I don't remember it, my mother always said my sister and I played in the attic when we were young children. I know there where old items stored by the home owners. I remember a couple of items my mother had found up there: a wooden box, a sort of chalice looking thing that she claimed was a Victorian rouge container (I'm not sure how she deduced that). She found a small can of gold leaf and I still have it but am not sure where. It was a tin can with find gold powder My mother told me it would make us rich, that it was pure gold. I can't remember the attic at all but I wondered when I read your question if that was the beginning of my enchantment with antiques and artifacts.
