We share interviews with the KIUW contributors on our blog. Get to know them and their writing here! We're starting with the inimitable Meredith Wadley.
You'll find Swiss-American author Meredith Wadley on Twitter, where she shares an apparently never-ending stream of short works published in magazines and journals. Her essay in Keeping It Under Wraps is called Selective Parenting: an eyeblink moment that tells much about her relationship with her parents as an adult. We are delighted that Meredith took the leap and shared her first non-fiction work with us.
Read about Meredith below, and get to know her on Twitter or her website.
Parents can be selective about what they see of their children’s behaviors. As they age and their children take on the role of parenting, will the children be just as selective?
How much of your life do you give to writing?
It would be easier to ask me how much of my life I don’t give to writing. I have two heads, and both write. One works on personal writing and the other writes, edits, and translates copy and content for various companies in Switzerland where I live. Most mornings, I’m up at five to get a couple of hours of personal writing done while the house is quiet. Once my husband and son are either out of the house or in their own spaces working remotely, my working-writer head clocks in. If I’m between freelancing projects, I’ll use the freed-up time for my personal writing. Writing is a wonderful occupation I can take everywhere with me. On vacation, I’m especially productive. My husband loves to sleep in, giving me extra quiet time to work.
What made you write this piece in particular?
There’s so much I could have written about parenthood. It’s a brilliantly multi-faceted topic. But it just so happened that I was in the middle of moving my elderly mother from Texas to Oregon, which reminded me of the camping incident I write about in my essay, and set me on this path.
How does this piece fit with your wider writing? Do you write in other genres?
My focus has been on writing fiction, longform and flash. Writing and submitting a personal essay for publication is a new venture for me. Several years ago, my eldest daughter encouraged me to create a website. At the beginning of each month, I’ll post a “musing” on it. Each musing is really a personal essay, much in the style of the piece, and I’ve been thankful for the practice. I’m ready to explore more of this wonderful genre!
How can readers further support your writing?
I invite readers to follow me on Twitter @MeredithWadley and via my website where they’ll find links to my short stories and flash fiction publications.