We talked with our Young Writers Instructor, Sasha Geffen, to learn a little more about them. Check out their answers below, and find them on the Summer Camp schedule!
When did you first realize you wanted to be an author? What inspired you?
I loved writing stories from the time I could first form letters—I remember watching the show Ghostwriter on PBS and demanding my parents teach me how to write so I could start communicating with unseen spirits—but I loved animals more, and I wanted to be a veterinarian for most of my childhood. Then when I was in fifth grade or so, I read James Herriot's memoirs about his country veterinary practice in the U.K., and I realized I could split the difference. High school biology class dispelled the veterinary aspiration and left me with the stories.
Who is your favorite author? What is it that you like about them?
It gets harder and harder for me to pick a favorite anything as I get older, but one author who has consistently inspired me throughout my life in a mutualistic, evolving way is Ursula K. Le Guin. I read her Catwings stories in Highlights Magazine as a kid, and then The Left Hand of Darkness opened my mind to the political possibilities of speculative fiction when I read it in my twenties. She treats her characters with a lot of warmth and isn't afraid to leave big mysteries unsolved. Every time I read another work of hers, my perspective widens a little more.
If you could have tea with one character from a book, who would you choose?
I'm going to say Katrina Nguyen from Ryka Aoki's Light from Uncommon Stars. I would love to drink very caffeinated tea and mind-meld about music and video games with her.
What advice would you give our young writers?
Don't be afraid to try things, even if you end up making big, hideous mistakes. Making a mess is the only way to find out what kind of writer you are. Don't worry too much about keeping pace with other people or accomplishing things on an external timeline. Your work will unfold at the speed it's supposed to, and if it's slow, that just means you have more time to make it yours.
Do you have any upcoming projects or events?
I'm also a DJ with the all-vinyl DJ collective Sunhigh alongside fellow Lighthousers Marissa Morrow and Lauren Dennis. We'll be spinning at Pon Pon on Saturday, May 17, from 9:00 PM until close. Come say hi (if you’re over 21)!
