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: Greer Gurland
Title of Piece published in Sweet: Waffles
Issue: 9.1
Find her:
Greer has recently been working for an MFA at Fairleigh Dickinson University, and received awards for her poem collection in Finishing Line Press. She is grateful for connections through Sweet, which prompted the decision for further education. You can find out more about her at www.greergurland.com.
What are some major accomplishments you have had since your Sweet publication?
Since publication of “Waffles” in Sweet, I continue to be grateful for the chance to use writing to connect, and to make sense of the extraordinary but seemingly ordinary moments—large and small—that forge meaning in our lives.
My first collection of poems It just so happens Poems to Read Aloud (Finishing Line Press 2018) just received five Indie Book Awards including Director’s Choice Award 2018 Human Relations Life Experiences Book of the Year. This coming year, new work of mine is forthcoming in Silver Needle and The St. Petersburg Review. A conversation with poet Olivia Pride about Silver Needle will air shortly.
Being embraced by the Sweet community made me hungry for even more conversations. I decided to pursue an MFA. I am honored to be the recipient of the Baumeister Award at Fairleigh Dickinson where I am working toward an MFA in poetry. I am grateful to my mentors Jeffrey Allen, Renee Ashley, and Harvey Hix.
Can you tell us about a current/ongoing project that you’re excited about?
I am working on a poetry collection, tentatively titled “heavy for its weight.” I also have an essay project that I keep meaning to return to.
Who is your favorite author?
Marie Howe feeds me. I had the privilege of meeting with her recently. I reached out to her. I just had to see how she walks through the world, feeling and thinking as sensitively as she does. Her authenticity and openness are, in person, what they are in her poetry. I think we writers very much need people like that who care to inspire and support those of us who share the struggle to “deepen in the place of poetry”, as she puts it.
What inspires you to write?
Connection.
What is your favorite sweet?
My favorite sweet remains the brownie—and the recipe I make is an Alton Brown original. I’ve written it into our family recipe book, replete with pictures of my kids getting messy with me. Here’s the link to the original recipe. I use two cups of flour.
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/cocoa-brownies-recipe-2085484
Thank you, Greer, for taking the time to reconnect with us. We look forward to seeing more of your work in the future!
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