Author Interview: Jay Morse
Q&A with the contributors from the latest issue of Hinterland - and dates for our Spring teaching programme.
Jay Morse writes (mostly) creative non-fiction, typically first-person narratives about his experiences and observations of the world around him. His writings strive for finding commonality in people and places, without getting so comfortable he misses the importance of being uncomfortable in the first place. When not traveling, you can find Jay in the high deserts of Northern Nevada where he flyfishes, reads, remodels things that don’t need it, or hangs with his family. Jay has an MFA from Antioch University-Los Angeles, and has been published in The Forge Literary, Tahoma Literary Review, and Door=Jar. Read more of his writing at ThreeSaintsRoad.com. His piece ‘Roller Shades, Deconstructed’ appears in Issue 17.
What’s the last thing (except for this!) that you wrote?
I've been working on a series of travel essays, each a focus on a particular city. I'm struggling through my latest essay, titled ‘Cairo’.
Words to live by…
‘Words have meaning!’ I spent 20+ years in the American army, most of it as an attorney. Advocacy was our fundamental skill, and of course communication is the foundation of good advocacy. Understanding that words carry different meanings to different people is always present when I write.
Tell us something about yourself that surprises people...
I’m sentimental as hell.
What’s your piece in this issue about?
‘Roller Shades, Deconstructed’ is about so many things — the impact of childhood adversity on us as adults; the importance of family; the importance of healthy friendships and healthy masculinity; being OK with ‘making it’ (whatever that means); the ties we have to our homes and our natural environment.
Thanks Jay! In other news, we’ve posted dates for the first of our Spring courses over on our website. As well as our popular Building Skills and Advanced Skills courses, we’ve also got limited spaces on a new Writers’ Workshop class for works in progress, which starts next month. You can book direct with us, and if you do you’ll receive a free digital issue of your choice.