“Writers are not mythological creatures. We are not gods nor are we the special snowflakes the hype around the industry makes us out to be. We’re people doing a job. If you happen to know a writer’s name from something they wrote that you liked – gosh, that must mean they’re doing their job well.

So what inspires me to write? The same things that inspire anyone who completes a job set out before them day after day. Some days it’s because I need to eat. Some days it’s because an editor/deadline told me to. And some days it’s in pursuit of a singular vision, a frenzied attempt to actualize something I see lacking in the world.”

Christina Cooke

Yes.  Okay, maybe not so much the writing-to-eat part. Writing has never provided me with that kind of sustenance and it’s greedy as all get it out; sometimes it tries to make me forget to eat–downright greedy. And maybe something like but not really mythological–I probably can’t judge for myself because I believe in myself (at least my existence) on most days–as much as, err, uniquely “actively actualizing” stuff–because most folks don’t take the inordinate amounts of time we artists do to do that.  Or as you might say, bearing witness–out loud and in front of e’rybody.

Hmmm.  Or something like that.

What say you?

*the entire very good interview with Christina Cooke (and Nailah King) can be read at Room Magazine’s website here.

**Women of colour, submissions of poetry and prose to Room’s Women of Colour issue remain open until the end of this month.  (Christina Cooke and Nailah King will be co-editing it).  Check out the guidelines here.