AUTHOR PROFILE
Stacy Pendergrast writes haiku, haibun, narrative memoir, and poetry. After a lifetime of teaching in public schools, she earned an MFA from Chatham University in Pittsburgh. Her work has appeared in Fourth River, Memoir Magazine, Still, Blue Mesa Review, bottle rockets and many other journals. She returned to Arkansas to do research for her memoir and ended up marrying her first boyfriend whom she hadn’t seen in four decades. Stacy is currently finishing what has evolved into a “coming-of-love” memoir, You Wouldn’a Been Here.
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Stacy's piece appeared in Pond 46
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Why do you write?
Simply, writing helps me process the beauty and pain of life. Through writing I deepen my reflection about both weird and routine events, and I make sense out of the chaos of both my inner and outer worlds. Writing is paradoxical for me—I simultaneously lose and find myself. Those little “aha” moments that surface from deep, wrestling contemplation-—these are what keep me coming back to the page.
What other creative activities are you involved in?
I noticed how much I loved taking and editing pictures with my iPhone. I’m not talking about selfies at the mall or at a holiday dinner. I’m talking mostly about scenes on my drives and hikes in the hills of Arkansas. The rusty truck, the field of foxglove, the old mining pit turned to a cobalt-blue pond. I am thrilled to stumble upon a scene carefully wrought by nature or by the random acts of human beings. My husband gave me a fancy camera for my birthday last year, and I’m learning the craft of digital photography. The magic of discovery and the satisfaction of editing reminds me a lot of the writing process.
Who is your favorite author and why?
This is arguably the most difficult interview question ever, along with its companion, the dreaded “favorite book” query. While loyal and faithful as a friend and mate, I’m fickle when it comes to my favorite writers. Past loves have included classical greats such as Dickinson, Thoreau, and Hemingway. At the moment, I’m in love with Lewis “Buddy” Nordan. His Boy with Loaded Gun ranks among my all-time favorite memoirs—and I read memoir constantly. His fictionalized account of the Emmett Till murder in Wolf Whistle—pure genius.
But if I am forced to pick an all-time favorite author, I have to go with hippie-poet Richard Brautigan, the one who got me hooked on poetry when I was fourteen.
But if I am forced to pick an all-time favorite author, I have to go with hippie-poet Richard Brautigan, the one who got me hooked on poetry when I was fourteen.
Tell us about the mechanics of how you write.
I stew and stew, letting angst simmer for days. I brainstorm list after list. I create what I call a “word palette,” a bank of words and images that float around in my awareness, ready for the grabbing when I finally put pen to paper. I simply must “sleep on” my ideas, letting my subconscious work around the clock. A daydreamer, in high school I was nicknamed “Spacey Stacy,” but I eventually learned to make daydreaming work as pre-writing. Once I have a draft, I trim and tweak ad nauseam. This drawn-out but savory process accounts for my not being as prolific as I’d like to be.
Finally, what do you think about Carp, the fish, not our website?
The best way to cook the delicacy of carp is to get a green pine board the same size as the fish. Season the board along with the fish, wrap the fish tightly with foil and seal it completely. Let the fish slowly cook at 275 degrees for a minimum of seven hours while you inhale the heavy carp aroma. Finally, take the carp out, gently peel back the foil, and separate the fish from the board, making sure to remove all flakey, meaty pieces. Then throw that bony fish away—Put the green board on a platter and serve that to your guests.