Do you have a nickname?
Nick? I guess it’s Nick. Or Nic. Or Nikki. Gender is a whole thing, y’know?
What do you like to read?
Nick? I guess it’s Nick. Or Nic. Or Nikki. Gender is a whole thing, y’know?
What do you like to read?
I’ll be honest and say that due to the nature of my job I
read way more graphic novels and comics than I do traditional prose/literature.
Of which I have an appreciation for Tom King, Brian K. Vaughn, Jonathan
Hickman, Gail Simone, Marjorie Liu, Jeff Lemire, Kieron Gillen, Jason Aaron, and I’m still
in a very deep love affair with Emil Ferris’s My Favorite Thing is Monsters.
As a youngin’ (comparatively, I know) I read lots of
military science fiction and have fond memories Robert Buettner’s Orphanage series and Timothy Zahn's Star Wars novels. (Although to call him military sci-fi is maybe not the most correct label.)
Currently, I’m on a Matt Ruff kick and I’m really excited to see what he and Jordan Peele do with Lovecraft Country on HBO.
Currently, I’m on a Matt Ruff kick and I’m really excited to see what he and Jordan Peele do with Lovecraft Country on HBO.
I have a huge soft spot for John Le Carre Cold War espionage
novels and the complicated political and social environments he creates for his
characters. I sort of have a thing for spies.
What kind of stories do you write?
I find that I most often write my stories about secrets, both personal and cultural, and how they affect us as individuals and societies. Most of my stories deal with queer identity with a focus on gender and queering of form. Slipstream would be the closest genre descriptor, but I tend to dabble in new weird or other fun surrealist weird gobbledygook.
How would you describe your personality?
I’m the kind of person who will tell you that they are an ENFP and be sincere and happy about it. Regardless, I like spending time around and learning from new people and discovering things as I go.
What would you do this summer if you hadn't been accepted to Clarion?
In all honesty, probably just work my job and try to get the short film I shot two years ago finished (finally). Oh, and all my friends are going to Disney World. So I get to wistfully look at them through social media as they take pictures with Star Wars characters.
Who will miss you most while you're in San Diego (cats, kids, partner, boss, coworkers)?
My girlfriend, most definitely. We are doing a road trip from Maryland to San Diego on my way to Clarion so that should help with the missing a little bit. My family and dogs are sure to be sad as well. Let’s hope the job does okay without me.
Have you participated in an intensive writing workshop before?
That depends on what you mean by intensive, I guess? I minored in creative writing in undergrad and all of the classes for that were in a workshop setting. I also participated in the Juniper Institute for Young Writers as a teen and that was pretty intense for, y’know, a 17 year old.
What scares you most about Clarion?
What kind of stories do you write?
I find that I most often write my stories about secrets, both personal and cultural, and how they affect us as individuals and societies. Most of my stories deal with queer identity with a focus on gender and queering of form. Slipstream would be the closest genre descriptor, but I tend to dabble in new weird or other fun surrealist weird gobbledygook.
How would you describe your personality?
I’m the kind of person who will tell you that they are an ENFP and be sincere and happy about it. Regardless, I like spending time around and learning from new people and discovering things as I go.
What would you do this summer if you hadn't been accepted to Clarion?
In all honesty, probably just work my job and try to get the short film I shot two years ago finished (finally). Oh, and all my friends are going to Disney World. So I get to wistfully look at them through social media as they take pictures with Star Wars characters.
Who will miss you most while you're in San Diego (cats, kids, partner, boss, coworkers)?
My girlfriend, most definitely. We are doing a road trip from Maryland to San Diego on my way to Clarion so that should help with the missing a little bit. My family and dogs are sure to be sad as well. Let’s hope the job does okay without me.
Have you participated in an intensive writing workshop before?
That depends on what you mean by intensive, I guess? I minored in creative writing in undergrad and all of the classes for that were in a workshop setting. I also participated in the Juniper Institute for Young Writers as a teen and that was pretty intense for, y’know, a 17 year old.
What scares you most about Clarion?
This is sort of my big “career moment” for 2018 and I want to make it count. My plans of attending graduate school didn’t’ really pan out so I feel a lot of personal pressure to make the most of my time at Clarion. Make connections. Make memories. Write. A Lot.
What do you do to relax or for recreation?
I write reviews! I started doing little one paragraph movie reviews on my Facebook feed when I was in high school and people seemed to like them so I’ve kept at it while also doing blogs, podcasts, videos, etc.
I also enjoy biking, hiking, swimming, and failing to avoid
arguments with people on the internet.
What 1-2 essential things will you bring to Clarion besides your laptop, watergun, and espresso maker?
Some comfort movies, books, and comics. Also…board games? I know we’re going to be up to our necks in writing, but games are fun.
What is your ideal career?
Any career that allows me to tell stories for a living would be a dream come true. I enjoy working in various different mediums and genres so I’d be just as happy writing/publishing novels as I would be producing/writing for film or TV.
What else do you want us to know about you?
I am an unabashedly huge Star Wars fan. I have been my entire life and it’s probably going to be that way until I die. Even the movies I don’t like, I love in their own weird way.
I’m sort of in the middle of a transitional period of my life when it comes to gender identity. So, pronouns are sort of an up in the air thing.
What 1-2 essential things will you bring to Clarion besides your laptop, watergun, and espresso maker?
Some comfort movies, books, and comics. Also…board games? I know we’re going to be up to our necks in writing, but games are fun.
What is your ideal career?
Any career that allows me to tell stories for a living would be a dream come true. I enjoy working in various different mediums and genres so I’d be just as happy writing/publishing novels as I would be producing/writing for film or TV.
What else do you want us to know about you?
I am an unabashedly huge Star Wars fan. I have been my entire life and it’s probably going to be that way until I die. Even the movies I don’t like, I love in their own weird way.
I’m sort of in the middle of a transitional period of my life when it comes to gender identity. So, pronouns are sort of an up in the air thing.
I'm going to be snoopy & ask what your job is, but only because you left such a cryptic comment about it.
ReplyDeleteBased on your comics list, I have to wonder if you ever read/liked Drifter, by Ivan Brandon/Nic Klein? It's so gritty it's out of control, but it also feels like a good spiritual cousin to Hickman's East of West.
I haven't read Drifter, but having just now looked into it I'll have to give it a shot. With East of West in its last cycle I'll need a new ongoing to sink myself into.
DeleteI work for Diamond Comic Distributors in Maryland. The best perk of the job is that there are always comics and graphic novels moving through the office so I get to spend my breaks and lunches discovering new books and series. It's a benefit that I take for granted sometimes, but it's easily one of the highlights of working there.
Oh, fun! I worked at a comic book store for about 30.5 seconds eons ago, and many an afternoon was spent by all of the staff blissfully browsing through the Diamond catalogues.
DeleteI keep meaning to read My Favorite Thing is Monsters, I hear such good things. Can't wait to read the weird secretssss you write. And now, my favorite question: what sorts of dogs do you have?
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful! I have been impatiently awaiting the second part of the story for months now. Apparently I have all the way until December to go. I'm sure I'll survive somehow.
DeleteI have two labradoodles. Although, we aren't sure the youngest of the two is really that breed as he is a rescue and looks a little atypical for one. They are named Finn and Maxx. I've been wanting to get them little leather jackets or something that match their sci-fi namesakes, but the rest of my family isn't so keen.
Hey Nick! Very excited to read your stories - secrets is such an interesting theme!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely adore "Monster," and seeing Marjorie Liu's name with a fair number I don't recognize makes me excited to check them out! Are you familiar with Kieron Gillen's "The Wicked + The Divine"? That's another one that I've been reading recently and really enjoying.
And please bring all your favorite board games! I don't own any, but they're some of the best ways to pass the time.
Kieron Gillen is one of my favorite comic writers all around and "The Wicked + The Divine" is easily one of his best works and one of my favorite current ongoings. It's one of the few series going right now that still manages to surprise and upend what I expect from it with each issue. I can't wait to see where it goes.
DeleteI'll have to see what board games I can fit into my car. It's going to be a cramped cross-country trek, but I should at the very least be able to smuggle a few.
I can't wait to read your stories about secrets. I hate encountering them in real life but LOVE reading about betrayal, lies, all that dark stuff.
ReplyDeleteI second this! I love love stories about secrets. Also stories about games. Perhaps we should combine these with whatever board games you bring?
Delete