Interview with ​Mickie Kennedy

Meet NUMUM's Contributor: Mickie Kennedy

11/1/2022

NUMUM

Blending Flash Fiction & Art

Interview with Mickie Kennedy

Mickie Kennedy lent our Fall 2022 issue a little piece of brilliance in the form of his flash fiction piece The Sculptor. Thankfully for us, Mickie was kind enough to give us some of his time and let us know a little more about him and his work.

What was the first book you remember picking and reading by yourself?

Jules Verne, Journey to the Center of the Earth.

Oh nice, one I have actually read. What writer(s) or which book(s) influenced your decision to become a writer?

Carolyn Forché. Charles Simic. Elizabeth Bishop. Allen Ginsberg. Ernest Hemingway.

That question always brings up some new names for me, I guess that is one of the reasons it isn't going anywhere for a while.

Is there a writing craft book that you would recommend to new writers?

The Triggering Town by Richard Hugo.

That is a new one for me, but one that just got added to the wish list. Is there a writer who has influenced your current writing style?

I suspect I'm a mishmash of several of my favorite writers. That being said, I find myself always ready to embrace the simple writing style of Hemingway, despite his flawed personal life.

Why write flash fiction?

While predominantly a poet, I find I sometimes need to lean more into narrative to get to the essence of the story. For those times, flash fiction is a perfect compromise.

What advice would you give someone who is just starting to send their work out to journals?

Don't overthink it. Send it out but also keep writing. Never forget to feed the muse. Over time, you will get better and find more success.

When you sit down to write, is pen or computer for you?

I wrote with a pen for decades. However, I have given it up for either my phone or my computer. There's something about the ease with which you can revise and move things around in electronic form.

Do you write for a specific audience?

I do. It has evolved over time. Originally, I wrote for classmates, perhaps even teachers and writers I appreciated.

The work tended to be a little full of itself and stuffed with grandiose language. Over time, I've added family and friends to my desired audience, realizing I didn't want to write work that couldn't be enjoyed and appreciated by those to whom I'm closest.

And finally Mickie, when do you write?

I love to write in the morning. In my house, everyone sleeps in but me. In the quiet of morning, I feel a real desire to produce, to think, to wrestle upon the page. I try to write at least three times a week, though at times, I've had long stretches of continuous weeks and months. I think it's important to listen to your soul; let it speak when it must, but also have the discipline to gently prod it from time to time.

Mickie Kennedy is a gay American writer who resides in Baltimore County, Maryland with his family and two feuding cats. He enjoys British science fiction and the idea of long hikes in nature.

A prior Washington Review poetry award winner, his work has appeared in The Bangalore Review, Hole in the Head Review, Midway Journal, Plainsongs, Portland Review, Rattle, and Wisconsin Review. He earned an MFA from George Mason University. You can keep up with Mickie on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or at his website.