Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura McCune-Poplin.
Laura, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I’ve been reading voraciously since I can remember, but I have no memory of writing until the fourth grade, when I wrote my first book, using contact paper for the cover and colored pencils for the illustrations, about a little girl who was lost.
I kept writing, or rather journaling, every day throughout high school and college, not realizing that although the genre had changed (autobiography instead of fiction) the subject matter remained the same. I was still writing about a little girl who was lost. No matter where I went, I didn’t fit in, and writing was my way of concretizing who I was and what I thought. By recording my life in a tangible way, I was literally creating a space for myself in the world. After graduating from university with degrees in Zoology and French Literature (by way of fencing, pottery, and cello), I decided the only way to pursue all my interests was to write about them, and so I moved across the country to study creative writing at Emerson College, becoming more lost than I have ever been.
It is in Boston that I finally found myself, as a writer and a teacher of writing. Seven published stories, three awards, and one novel-in-progress later, and I am still telling stories of those who are lost, but now I do so deliberately, because I believe all kinds of people have worth, even and maybe especially those who don’t fit neatly into labels and boxes and societal expectations. The more I study language, the more aware I’ve become of the power of words to make or unmake our sense of identity and self-worth. In my writing I seek to tell the stories of those who are overlooked and forgotten, to remind them that they too have a story worth telling.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I express myself creatively in both my teaching and my writing. During the academic year, I teach writing and literature classes at Berklee College of Music, where I get to share my passion for language with equally passionate musicians. In the summer, I teach at L’ATELIER Writers, a week-long retreat and workshop in France, where writers come together for inspiration, instruction, and most importantly, time and space to work. Part of my growth as a writer has been to help other people learn to identify and develop their own voice.
The rest of my summer is devoted to writing. Although I’ve mostly published short stories, I’ve fallen in love with novel writing, and I recently finished FATECHANGER, an upper-middle grade novel about a fourteen-year-old girl with an artificial heart-valve who travels back in time to 1915 Boston, where she must disguise herself first as a pickpocket and then as a newsboy to survive. She too has never fit in. She too is lost. The novel explores issues of gender and economic inequality, and disability, but mostly it tells the story of a girl who has felt invisible her entire life, and how she learns to be seen.
What do you think it takes to be successful as an artist?
I’m an artist, but I’m also an existentialist. I believe deeply that we are not defined by the recognition we receive or by what others think of us. Rather we are defined by our actions. The freedom to define ourselves through our actions is empowering, but it comes at a cost. We must assume responsibility for our identity. We can’t blame others for our failures. To be a successful artist, or in my case, writer, is to write. To keep writing. And not to give up.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
Currently, I’m looking for a literary agent or independent press to publish my middle-grade novel, FATECHANGER. Most of my short stories and other articles are Google friendly and can be read online for free. I’ll be sharing any future publications on Twitter @lmpoplin1. L’ATELIER Writers will be hosting our very first Boston-based event this Fall, so fellow writers looking for an intensive workshop should visit our website at www.latelierwriters.org. And any fans of children’s stories can check out my blog at http://lastnightsstory.wordpress.com/
Contact Info:
- Website: www.latelierwriters.org
- Email: laura.mccune.poplin@gmail.com
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/lmpoplin1
- Other: https://lastnightsstory.wordpress.com/
Image Credit:
Laura McCune-Poplin
