Introduction: DM Armstrong

Hey, all. Sorry for the much delayed response. I'm very excited to meet all of you, to read your work, and get to know each of you.

Do you have a nickname?

No.

What do you like to read?

Authors I’ve enjoyed in the past year or so: China Mieville, Hanya Yanagihara, Jeff Vandermeer, Jesmyn Ward, Colson Whitehead, Ken Liu, Paolo Bacigalupi, Mark Haddon, Kim Stanley Robinson, Neal Stephenson, Manuel Gonzales, Brian Evenson, A. Merc Rustad, Maxim Loskutoff, John Scalzi, Kelly Link, Leigh Bardugo, Dale Bailey, Anthony Doerr, Dan Vyleta, Charlie Jane Anders.

What kind of stories do you write?

Mostly fantastical/fabulist—based in reality. I’d call it urban fantasy, but it’s often rural. (Almost no high fantasy). Sci-fi: leaning toward near-future, near-reality-based over space opera or far-flung future. Also realism.

How would you describe your personality?

Private.

What would you do this summer if you hadn't been accepted to Clarion?

Writing. Reading. Biking. More writing.

Who will miss you most while you're in San Diego (cats, kids, partner, boss, coworkers)?

My wife and three-year-old son. I hope.

Have you participated in an intensive writing workshop before?

I did a masters and a PhD in creative writing, so I guess that counts as “intensive”? Nothing so compressed for time though. Or genre specific. Both of those attributes make Clarion exciting, but also scary (see below).

What scares you most about Clarion?

I process slowly (as is evidenced by the lateness of this post), so I’m hoping I can work quickly and well with everyone’s feedback. Possibly being out of touch with what my fellow writers are doing. Only figuring out how to take full advantage of Clarion after I’ve left Clarion.

What do you do to relax or for recreation?

Write. Read. Bike.

What 1-2 essential things will you bring to Clarion besides your laptop, watergun, and espresso maker?

Pen. Notebook.

What is your ideal career?

Move to writing/screenwriting full time? A little less teaching creative writing.

What else do you want us to know about you?

I write literary and speculative fiction and push to meld those two with every new publication. Here’s what I write and what I’ve published: www.davidarmstrongwriter.com.

I’m always looking for people with whom I can talk about books, and I’m always looking for recommendations from other writers/readers who share my interests. I've wanted to attend Clarion for a long time and am thankful to be sharing this experience with all of you this summer.