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: Vanya Erickson
Title of Piece published in Sweet: Remembering
Issue: 9.1
Vanya is the award-winning author of Boot Language. She’s spent decades teaching writing as well as mentoring educators in the oldest, continuously used schoolhouse in California. Her essays have appeared in a dozen literary journals and anthologies. Find out more about Vanya at www.vanyaerickson.com.
2019 WINNER Indie Book Award (Overcoming Adversity/Tragedy)
2019 SILVER MEDAL Benjamin Franklin Award (for best new voice)
2019 FINALIST Indie Excellence Award (Memoir as well as Regional Nonfiction: The West)
2019 FINALIST International Book Awards (Narrative Nonfiction)
What are some major accomplishments you have had since your Sweet publication?
I launched my memoir, Boot Language and am thrilled it was so well accepted!
Cool stuff on my website
Click here for the Boot Language book trailer.
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I also love to speak on my favorite topic: “Writing the Hard Stuff” and had the please of doing so at The Bay Area Book Festival this year!
Can you tell us about a current/ongoing project that you’re excited about?
I’m currently researching and writing a historical novel based on my grandmother’s life as a suffragette who drove an ambulance during WWI. It’s a story about the struggle for meaning and the longing to do something important.
Who is your favorite author?
Madeline L’Engle is who comes to mind. She has a magical ability to captivate readers. It has to do with her magical ability to contrast good and evil.
What is your favorite poem/essay/book?
Poem: Anything by Mary Oliver, but “Mindful” is a standout.
Essay: The latest from comedian Hannah Gadsby.
Book: Madeline L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time
What inspires you to write?
Whatever is burning in my head: Contrasts, Injustice, beauty, passion, resilience; how humbling it is to be human.
What is your favorite sweet?
The killer brownies at Companion Bakeshop in Santa Cruz, CA!
https://companionbakers.wordpress.com/menu-ordering/
Thank you, Vanya, for taking the time to reconnect with us. We look forward to seeing more of your work in the future!
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