“Conflagration” by Maureen D. Hall appeared in Issue 46 and can be found here.
We’d love to hear more about “Conflagration.”
I enjoy writing stories about women celebrating their strengths and trauma, hopefully in ways that we can all relate to, whether we’ve been through something similar or not.
What was the most difficult part of writing this piece?
A couple of things in “Conflagration” are loosely based on real life. So I needed to use the freedom of fiction to transcend personal narrative and still create an interesting, believable story.
Recommend a book for us which was published within the last decade.
Behind You is the Sea by Susan Muaddi Darraj. It’s a novel of essentially nine linked short stories about multiple generations of a Palestinian American family in Baltimore. Told in different points of view, it’s funny, heartbreaking, and a poignant tribute to family.
If you could have a drink with any living author, who would it be? Why?
Louise Erdrich. I found Love Medicine in the early 90’s and have been reading her ever since. She’s fearless and kickass—things I aspire to—and I think she’d have some great stories to tell.
What are you working on now? What’s next?
I’ve been writing short stories, which I find a palate cleanser for the hell of trying to get a novel accepted for publication. I’m also facilitating one week of a workshop being offered by CALYX Press called Reproductive Rites: Writing the Right to Choose, an event I find both terrifying and exciting in equal measure.
I’ll eventually find my way back to the novel thing at some point, possibly attempting a book of related short stories.
Our thanks to Maureen for taking the time to answer a few questions and share this story. Read “Conflabration” here.
Maureen D. Hall is a New England based writer/poet whose work has appeared in numerous publications including, Paterson Literary Review, Hospital Drive, Journal of New Jersey Poets, American Journal of Nursing, Vineyard Poets, Island Quintet. Her short fiction has appeared in The MacGuffin, Isele Magazine, Alma Magazine, Halfway Down the Stairs, Sunspot Literary, After Dinner Conversation, and Calyx. Her fiction and poetry have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize.