January Member of the Month, Anastasia Zadeik Hipkins. Q & A with Susan J. Farese
SJF: How did you discover SDMWA?
AZH: I learned about SDMWA from Marni Freedman and Danielle Bruno-Baldwin.
SJF: Describe how it felt to be a San Diego Memoir Showcase winner multiple times?
AZH: Each time is just as exciting as the first!
SJF: Tell us about memoir piece Stories for My Father from Shaking the Tree-brazen. short. memoir. Volume 1.
AZH: “Stories for My Father” was written to the prompt “Where I come from.” It is about my family of origin and how sharing a series of childhood stories with my father brought us closer at the end of his life.
SJF: Describe your new role as Director of Operations for the San Diego Writers Festival.
AZH: We are currently in the thick of planning for the second annual San Diego Writers Festival, which will be held on Saturday, April 4, 2020 at the Coronado Public Library and adjoining performance spaces. My role as Director of Operations is to provide overall logistical support and help keep things on track so we can achieve the founders’ vision of creating an inclusive, accessible day of free programming that celebrates writing in all of its forms.
SJF: Describe how writing has led to your finding your way to self-help and inspiring others.
AZH: Writing narrative non-fiction has been cathartic and healing, leading to a better understanding of the way life experiences have shaped me and helping me to recognize when it is time to let the past go. I continue to be motivated by people that come up after a reading to let me know that something I wrote made them laugh, cry, or feel less alone.
SJF: What are you currently working on?
AZH: I am currently revising a novel post-developmental edit and working on a series of short narrative non-fiction pieces and essays.
SJF: What are some of your favorite memoirs?
AZH: Among my favorites are Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt), Educated (Tara Westover), The Year of Magical Thinking (Joan Didion), Between the World and Me (Ta-Nehisi Coates, and (read together)—Autobiography of a Face (Lucy Greeley) and Truth and Beauty (Ann Patchett).
SJF: Any advice for new writers?
AZH: Read, read, read. Share the journey with other writers, but believe in your own process and your own voice. Try not to be discouraged by inevitable bumps in the road. Don’t give up. And remember, every moment is material.
SJF: Many thanks, Anastasia!
Learn more about Susan J. Farese