Kindness toward ourselves, especially when it comes to creative pursuits, means so much during tough times. Salena Casha discusses just this and more in today's chat about her pages penned in pandemic.
What does the pandemic currently look like in your city?
I live in Massachusetts, so we've been very conservative when it comes to the pandemic. We've had a mask mandate for anytime you leave your house since April which has been super effective (and has definitely made me become a better runner!). We are back on the increase for cases though so I'm starting to get nervous for this coming winter and what that will mean for my city.
What are some favorite books you've read during quarantine?
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab, The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel, How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, and Educated by Tara Westover.
If you haven't been reading, what are some books you're most looking forward to reading?
I'm really looking forward to reading Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (I've heard great things) and I'm feeling in the mood for a Zadie Smith book as well. I also love re-reading The Magicians series by Lev Grossman during this time of year.
Have there been any movies, tv shows, podcasts, etc. that have helped keep you at ease the past few months?
Oh so many! I listen to the NY Daily podcast everyday (Michael Babara), flew through “The Umbrella Academy” series, and cried my heart out during the first season of “I May Destroy You.” I went heavy into “Watchmen” and “Lovecraft Country” on HBO (highly recommend if you can handle horror). I've also been doing “The Great British Bake Off” on Fridays to lighten things up.
How has the pandemic affected your writing?
I've definitely been journaling way more and writing some flash fiction. I've had a hard time trying to write about fictional things to be honest just because I feel like as a writer, authoring and coming up with fictionalized points of conflict and "make believe" is more tiring than anything because our present is just all consuming and we're feeling a lot of intense emotions on a daily basis from the pandemic to racial justice and inequity to the election.
Are there any projects you are excited to keep working on? If so, can you give us any details (no spoilers please!) about your project?
I've been trying to write a fictionalized account about my Napolitano grandmother but it's very much start-stop. I am excited to keep participating in NYC Midnight writing competitions. I found they've really been jarring me out of my head and force me to write something completely new with the guardrails of a genre, action, and word that need to be included in the story in a short deadline.
If asked ten years from now what the past few months have taught you about being a writer, what would come to mind?
To take it all day by day. To be an activist. To be an observer. To talk less and listen more. To write from your heart and attempt to articulate what you're feeling. My partner recently said that writing is just a game of telephone between your brain and hand. The more you practice it, the better you get at creating that connection between the two completely disparate parts of your body (the mental and the physical). That really hit home for me as I often find myself crafting a gorgeous sentence in my head only to find it lackluster when it hits the page.
Are you a plotter, pantser, or somewhere in between? Has this changed during the pandemic?
I've become more of a pantser during the pandemic. If this time has taught us anything, or really, me anything it's that it's important to document exactly how you're feeling in a moment, regardless of how small or insignificant it feels in that moment. I've really enjoyed looking back at my chicken scratchings the last eight months and shocking myself all over again with the thoughts that were passing through my head. It's wild.
Where is your favorite place to write? Has this changed during the pandemic?
I used to love writing in coffee shops and obviously, that can't happen anymore. I've been hand writing way more, though this really took a toll on my rusty wrist initially but it's better now. I like writing at my kitchen table because the chairback is very straight and helps me concentrate. I journal in my bed when the feeling strikes. That being said, when I am writing, I always do have coffee on hand to get me through.
If you curated a playlist for writing life in the pandemic, what top 5 songs would be on your list?
Honestly, it's been more of an album of the pandemic for me, namely "Blood Pressures" by The Kills. Great female vocals, great angsty lyrics, a deep beat. It's exactly what I need to get me to write and also a great playlist to run to.
While the future is just as unknowable as ever, what is something you are most looking forward to this year?
I'm really looking forward to the first snow this year. I live in the city and I love how quiet it's gotten during the pandemic so I can't wait to wake up on the morning of the first snow, grabbing a cup of coffee, and looking out at the soft silence.
Is there any advice you would give to young writers during this time?
Be gentle with yourself. There was this great meme early on in the pandemic of someone rowing a boat during a storm with the caption "What do you mean you can't be creative in the middle of a crisis?" If you can't write during this time, if you aren't able to produce anything, that's exactly what you need to do. Don't force it. We're all under a lot of conscious and subconscious stress right now so don't add to it if inspiration doesn't strike.
