An Interview with...

I found this while cleaning up my computer and looking over some old files that I never found a place for online. I wonder what people will think of this self-interview I conducted for a friend in the early 2000s who wanted me to submit some biographical information in a Q and A (she came up with the questions; I should get back in touch with her one day). English was not her first language, and this was for an assignment she had at school to improve her skill with the language.

Some information is now dated and some references might be obscure.

K.D.

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Kendall Defoe, a **-year-old writer and teacher, was born in Hamilton, Ontario. After high school he did English Literature in McMaster University, worked for Chapters, went to Japan to teach English for three years and then, coming back, did one more major in English at McGill University. He has been writing since he was 14. Mainly does short stories, plays (one of which was played at university in Hamilton), poems and, more recently, music reviews. Kendall got published in McGill University's literature magazine ‘Beneath the Surface' with a poem and then in ‘Other Investigations’ with the short story 'Did I Tell the Truth?' Last year he won the 2nd prize in a national contest organized by Paragraphe bookstore.

1 How do you define creativity?

Creativity is not following what other people do. It is doing what hasn’t been done before but using what others did .Creative people don’t just go along with convention.

2 What is art to you?

Art is not about happiness, it’s about some longing and the best judge of art is time.

3 How do you expand your creativity? What or who inspires you?

Bad childhood memories. Inexistence of a good relationship with my father.

4 What would you advise me to remember if I intended to become a writer?

Be committed to writing. Write everyday, even on weekends! Don’t lie about the reality you speak about. Don’t dress it up, don’t garnish. Always have a notebook with you to write down everything that impresses you. Always tell the truth.

5 How do you know when your work is finished or needs improvement?

Kendall quoted Jackson Pollack: ‘How do you know when you’re done making love?’

6 What environment do you work best in?

A quiet room with a desk, a pen and paper.

7 Do you ever have mental blocks?

I do not believe something like writer's block exists. Change genre you're using and work through it.

8 What issues do you write about?

Personal experiences. People he is impressed by.

9 Do you have any mentors or idols that you think influence your work?

I would like to write anything as good as Mann's "Death in Venice," Camus' "The First Man," or Beckett's "Waiting for Godot." I guess they count as mentors. I refuse to bow to any idol.

10 Do you tend to focus on one piece of work or many at a time?

Can happen but tries not to. Considers it a bad habit. Working on a short story and a play at the same time can go alright; never work on a short story and a poem at the same time.

11 When I read your work, can I see you as a person?

Definitely. He finds it almost impossible to hide. The author’s ‘fingers’ can be seen or felt.

12 What is it like writing a short story or a poem?

Writing a short story is like painting- you can always go back to improve something. Not to be said about a poem. It should be short and sweet. Too much imagery harms-‘don’t make one feel like they are swimming through honey or treacle’ - Kendall Defoe.

13 Pen/paper or computer?

Definitely pen and paper. It makes him feel like he had his hands involved, not a machine.

14 How do you react to criticism?

Sometimes I fight back. Sometimes accepts it and even can change something if the critique is fair.

15 Are there genres you prefer?

Not really. Poetry is the most difficult one, but I have no preference.

16 Getting prizes in contests urges you to write more or you are rather indifferent to awards?

He thinks that too many awards are given for bad writing. And this makes you strive for something you shouldn’t strive for.

17 Is it easier or more difficult to write when you are assigned?

He wrote a Christmas play and CD biographies. It is easier when you feel like writing.

18 How do you feel when you need to sit and write?

It is a feeling between happiness and anger. He can feel it in his shoulders and on his back, like a sort of burden.

19 If you weren’t writing, what do you think you would do?

Drop a few pounds and be a dancer, or a professional musician.

20 What are your future goals? Any ambitions, plans?

Wants to be published and accepted as a writer, not as a Canadian writer.

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Thank you for reading!

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You can find more poems, stories, and articles by Kendall Defoe on my Vocal profile. I complain, argue, provoke and create...just like everybody else.

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