The PoArtMo Anthology Series: Interview with Sharon Dockweiler

Hello everyone!

Welcome to our PoArtMo Anthology Series, which celebrates the artists whose work appears in The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology: 2021 Edition.

Today’s guest is Sharon Dockweiler, who contributed the short story titled “Picker” to our anthology.

Auroras & Blossoms: Hello Sharon. Congratulations for being a featured artist in our anthology! How does a story begin for you? Does it start with an image, a form or a particular theme?

Sharon Dockweiler: Usually my stories and poems begin with a person who has affected me in some way.

A&B: Tell us all about the inspiration behind “Picker,“ the piece that will appear in The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology: 2021 Edition.

SD: “Picker” is about a man I met when I was at a low point in my life, battling bi-polar disorder. It describes our friendship and touches on the joy we brought each other in small ways despite our circumstances.

A&B: Who are your biggest influences in the writing world?

SD: Douglas Adams and Christopher Moore keep me slightly off center in a magical way that gives humor and texture to the serious subjects I often write about. I also love Orson Scott Card and the poetry of Robert Frost, who so simply brings the human condition to light.

A&B: What is your relationship with your speaking voice and your written voice?

SD: I love to read out loud. My mother was in a car accident when I was ten, and I spent years reading to her after school. She always commented on my reading: Too fast. Too slow. Enunciate. Use more feeling. She taught me to feel the words I read. I believe it is responsible for the way my written voice can grow to a crescendo of passion, then soften to a place where you want to strain to hear every nuance. That has carried over to a love for poetry open mics.

Whenever I read, I can hear emotional reactions from the crowd that let me know I’m hitting home.

A&B: Has your own opinion or idea of what writing is changed since you first started writing?

SD: I’ve been writing poetry and stories since I was five years old. I still think writing is simply fun. It entertains and teaches. I love that you can take off in any direction and create a new world.

I also love the attention that comes from readers or listeners. As an adult I know writing can be hard work, but, as Robert Louis Stevenson said, “I hate writing, but I love having written.”

A&B: Does your work have any specific themes or social commentary we should identify with?

SD: Much of my work sheds light on the forgotten: the homeless, mentally ill, addicted… I paint word pictures of individuals to show who they really are, how they got to where they are, and how they deal with that. It can go from heart-breaking to humorous on a hair pin turn.

A&B: Tell us the most positive and uplifting advice you have been given while working as a writer.

SD: All writing starts with free writing. Begin with a notebook that lays flat, that you aren’t afraid to ruin. Choose a smooth-writing pen. Let the words flow. Don’t worry about punctuation, spelling, or sentences. If you can’t think of a word, leave a space or draw an underline and keep on going. When you’re done, let it marinate. Set it aside for two weeks. Then see it as the raw clay that it is, and start to sculpt the actual image you want to convey.

Bio:

Sharon Dockweiler has lived through hell, and now serves as a sherpa for those following in her footsteps. The faith and humor that have kept her going are evident in her writing. She facilitates Writers’ Workshops for Deer Park and Brentwood Libraries on Long Island.

Sharon, thank you for answering our questions and supporting Auroras & Blossoms! We know that people will love “Picker” as much as we do!

Cendrine & David