Pierrette Rouleau Stukes
Age 54
West Jefferson, NC, Western NC Mountains, about 20 miles from the retreat center I mention in “Swimming”
Ph.D. in English Literature from The George Washington University, 2002
The Writer
How long have you been writing?
I have been writing creative nonfiction since 2010.
Do you have a specific writing style?
I tend to smash up different voices – memoir, academic, scientific, philosophical – and am grateful for the discovery of white space and lyricism in prose. I have never been a linear thinker, writer, or liver.
What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment as a writer?
My first submitted essay, “Tilted Toward Life,” was published and was nominated for the 2011 Best of the Net.
What is your greatest challenge as a writer?
I still believe the lie that I will never have another story to tell.
The Work
Tell us about your work in Crack the Spine.
“Swimming.” Oh. God. How does one summarize the desire to drown but being too stubborn to do so?
What inspired “Swimming?”
A writing contest provided the prompt: “journey.” I began with the idea of the physical walk from the back of a twelve-step recovery room to the front to pick up a white chip and other journeys coalesced around that image.
Anything else you’d like to share about your work in Crack the Spine?
The saying about the trapeze artist has been in my memory since 1982 when I got sober. The parallel story about suicide bridges and swimming came from that place inside which I can’t account for.
Tell us about another project you have published or are currently working on.
“Pedestrian Struck” circles around my husband’s automobile accident in 1995 as I circle around my childhood, marriage, and relationship to my step-children.
Where can we find this work?
Forthcoming in The Big Roundtable.
The Methods
Where do you write?
In the fall and winter, I write in front of a fire. In the spring and summer, I write overlooking my flower garden and Japanese maple. All times of the year, the mountains and woods surround me.
What time of day or night makes you most productive as a writer?
I am a morning writer.
What are your thoughts on self-publishing vs. traditional publishing?
Traditional publishing. I need validation; it’s in my hardwiring. Also, traditional publishing means to me that someone other than me finds my work substantial.
What are your thoughts on writing at a computer vs. writing longhand?
I learned to type in high school in between skipping classes. I can think and feel with my fingers. The tap of keys creates a rhythm which helps words manifest.
How do you react to editorial rejections of your work?
I used to be devastated. Now, I find confirmation in good rejections. One of my favorites is: “rejected, but with some love.” Encouraging declines tell me the work will find a home.
The Madness
What is your favorite book?
The Great Gatsby, Mountain City by Gregory Martin (memoir of place), Bluets by Maggie Nelson (lyric)
Who is your favorite author?
Maggie Nelson
What is your favorite word?
So cliché – “Fuck” – and “innocuous”
What makes you cry?
Others’ sorrows, my own regrets
How many of your character have you ended up killing off?
I write nonfiction, so killing off a character might dampen my writing life.
What is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?
The Inner Hebrides in Scotland.
Beach or Mountains?
Mountains, anywhere
Cats or Dogs?
Jack, my Labrador
The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?
The Rolling Stones and The Who
Shakespeare or Tennessee Williams?
Shakespeare’s King Lear
Additional Reading on Pierrette
Twitter profile: @PierretteStukes
Linkedin profile: Pierrette (Rouleau) Stukes, PhD