AUTHOR PROFILE
Elizabeth Thomas is a writer and educator who designs and teaches creative writing for all ages. An outstanding advocate of youth in the arts, she started UpWords Poetry, an organization dedicated to programs for young writers. Her work has been widely published, including with Connecticut River Review and Antrim House Books. She recently finished a memoir about elderly caregiving entitled, Here is a Kiss
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Elizabeth's work appeared in Pond 50
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Why do you write?
I write to help make sense of things in life that don’t make sense…like family, like politics, like love. If I didn’t write, all that ‘junkie’ stuff would smolder deep inside me and (at inappropriate moments, I’m sure) eventually ignite.
When teaching, I explain it like this – We experience emotions like sadness, anger, joy. These emotions often make it difficult to breathe or sleep or get out of our own way. If you imagine the emotions as a fist squeezing our heart, the writing becomes the release, the unclenching of the fist.
When teaching, I explain it like this – We experience emotions like sadness, anger, joy. These emotions often make it difficult to breathe or sleep or get out of our own way. If you imagine the emotions as a fist squeezing our heart, the writing becomes the release, the unclenching of the fist.
What other creative activities are you involved in?
I love to smash things! As a mosaic artist, I love the art of recreating something whole, from something broken. I also work part-time in the recreation area of a local senior center. We are involved in several creative pursuits like quilting, painting, collage work, yoga and dance. As humans, we should never stop learning, never stop growing. I’m also a huge proponent of anything creative that can be done inter-generationally, enabling us to learn from each other.
Who is your favorite author and why?
I enjoy talking books and authors, but my answer to this question always changes. It depends upon which book is by my bedside. I’m currently reading a lot of memoir and love the work of Rick Bragg (southern author/educator), Augusten Burroughs (Running with Scissors) and Mary Karr (Liar’s Club, Lit). But I also enjoy Barbara Kingsolver, Amy Tan and even Stephen King. Go figure!
Tell us about the mechanics of how you write.
Generally, an idea will lurk about my brain for awhile and eventually notes will begin to appear on the bathroom mirror, kitchen cabinets, my car’s rearview. I relish this sort of display, since it often leads to some of research and further questioning. If the idea still excites me, I take a blank composition book and start writing (by hand). It doesn’t land on the PC until the 2nd or 3rd draft.
Finally, what do you think about Carp, the fish, not our website?
I can say without hesitation, Carp has never taken up much of my thoughts, except for right now when attempting to write something witty.