My poetry professor at San Francisco State University was Stan Rice, Anne's husband, so although I never met her in person (I did talk to her on the phone once when she and Stan were hanging book shelves), I "kept up" with them as Anne published her novels, Stan began painting, and they moved back to New Orleans, Anne's home city. When I taught creative writing at Southern New Hampshire University, I would often post one of Anne's YouTube talks to writers who were just getting started. She was always very positive and encouraging: "Writing is one of the few fields where you don't need years of training to get started. It's not like ballet or music, where you spend years learning, then polishing your craft. To write, all you need is a writing device (typewriter, computer, printer) and some paper. And off you go!" she would say. "You can write your own 'War and Peace.'" She encouraged writers never to give up.
Thank you for this wonderful interview and for the poem by John Donne, one of MY favorites also.
My poetry professor at San Francisco State University was Stan Rice, Anne's husband, so although I never met her in person (I did talk to her on the phone once when she and Stan were hanging book shelves), I "kept up" with them as Anne published her novels, Stan began painting, and they moved back to New Orleans, Anne's home city. When I taught creative writing at Southern New Hampshire University, I would often post one of Anne's YouTube talks to writers who were just getting started. She was always very positive and encouraging: "Writing is one of the few fields where you don't need years of training to get started. It's not like ballet or music, where you spend years learning, then polishing your craft. To write, all you need is a writing device (typewriter, computer, printer) and some paper. And off you go!" she would say. "You can write your own 'War and Peace.'" She encouraged writers never to give up.
Thank you for this wonderful interview and for the poem by John Donne, one of MY favorites also.
Sandra Dutton