Marianne Garrah | Special to the 51暗网
Q: What medium do you work in?
A: I write both poetry and prose.
Q: When did you begin writing? Mentors?
A: I began writing stories when I was probably nine years old. Everyone in my (close and extended) family is uncannily musical and artistic; not being gifted in any of those areas, I write. My first year at university brought me the good fortune of meeting Professor Bert Almon. In one paper for his class, I quoted a short story by me to solidify a point made in the paper. Instead of being angry, he invited me to take his creative writing course 鈥� usually reserved for third year English students. He was a terrific teacher and always very encouraging. We remain friends to this day.
Q: Has your practice changed over the years?
A: Yikes, I would hope so. I expect the writing has gotten tighter and clearer, probably because of the brute force of the number of words I have repetitively strung together for the last 30 years. I write every day.
Q: Jasper has a lot of creative people 鈥� how do you find ways to showcase your art?
A: I sell books off the porch, at craft festivals, in local shops and online. I pursue local media to publish my poetry and photos. There are readings and workshops at the library when they will have me and outside the town proper when invited. I belong to the Writers鈥� Guild of Alberta, the Writers鈥� Union of Canada and the Canadian Authors鈥� Association 鈥� these groups are great resources for literary events and opportunities.
Q: Where would you like to see your art take you? What is your dream project?
A: My work has taken me to many places in the world for festivals, competitions and speaking engagements. I鈥檇 love to write a TV series / film script about this town, so I am researching the plot(s) and dreaming about the characters even as we speak.
Q: What is the most rewarding part of your practice?
A: When someone comes up to me and says, 鈥渢hat really spoke to me, it鈥檚 as though I wrote that鈥�, or they quote me to me, that鈥檚 a kicker.
Q: Is being in Jasper a hindrance or a benefit to your practice?
A: A big huge fat benefit.
Q: What wouldn鈥檛 you do without?
A: The pens my son and my husband gave me and paper.
Q: Best piece of advice to give to someone starting out in the arts.
A: If you need to be doing this, you will. Do it every day, you must. Begin from here.
Marianne Garrah with Habitat for the Arts is submitting a monthly Q&A with a local artist.
