Each week we will be connecting with our contributors showing where they have been, where they are now, and what’s up for the future.
Name: Chelsea Biondillo
Title of Piece published in Sweet: Crazy
Issue: 7.2
Chelsea lives near Portland, Oregon where she is doing renovation projects on land inherited from her grandparents. You can find out more about her at www.roamingcowgirl.com.
What are some major accomplishments you have had since your Sweet publication?
Well, my essay on Vixen made it to the Final Four in the March Shredness essay/music competition. That was pretty great, but, more exciting: My full-length manuscript has found a publisher! The Skinned Bird is available for pre-order now and slated for publication May 1, 2019 by KERNPUNKT Press.
Can you tell us about a current/ongoing project that you’re excited about?
Right now the final draft of the manuscript has a looming deadline, and then I’ll be working hard to schedule readings and events–I’m so excited about this book I’m insufferable to be around these days.
Who is your favorite author?
There’s no way I could pick one, and the list changes hourly/based on the weather. But here’s today’s: I love Ellen Meloy, Amy Leach, Camille Dungy, David Quammen, Elena Passarello, Lina María Ferreira Cabeza-Vanegas, Pam Houston, Maira Kalman, Paul Crenshaw, Nicole Walker, Javier Zamora, Traci Brimhall, Ursula K. LeGuin.
What is your favorite poem/essay/book?
Maggie Nelson’s Bluets comes to my mind all the time, as does Galway Kinnell’s The Book of Nightmares.
What inspires you to write?
The sublime in the natural world. That balance between horror/awe really inspires so much thinking, and the best way for me to work through those thoughts (how does this phenomenon work/ what does it impact/ why does this matter/ and what does it tell me about how people work-what people impact-why people matter) is to write about them.
What is your favorite sweet?
Ice cream sandwiches made with homemade cookies. I used to really love the ones at Churn in Phoenix and my new favorites in Portland are made at Ruby Jewel. If I were making my own, I’d use a cookie recipe on Epicurious, and put Ben & Jerry’s Americone Dream or Tillamook hazelnut/chocolate ice cream in between.
Thank you, Chelsea, for taking the time to reconnect with us. We look forward to seeing more of your work in the future!
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