I’ve known Karin since 1984. I was her Spanish tutor in college. Since that time (where did the time go??) she has taught me so much and inspired me, and even saved my life when we hit a deer in Nebraska. I wrote an essay about it and she wrote a short story about it.
Karin took me to my first writing workshop (at the old San Diego Writing Center) and my first Rainbow Gathering and got me a job at Woodstock II. She has always inspired me with her tenacity and passion and working so hard to do the things that matter, that make the world a better place for everyone. I’m so excited to feature her as a writer who has published her first novel, Falling From the Moon.
PLUME: When did you know you were a writer?
KZ: In elementary school when I published the “Tiffany Times” a newspaper that covered the events taking place on Tiffany Way in Chula Vista. Articles featured the latest tricks of neighborhood dogs, school events, and birthday parties.
PLUME: Where do you get your ideas?
KZ: Life experiences, buildings, artwork, nature, dreams, conversations.
PLUME: How many ideas do you work on at any given time?
KZ: Way too many
PLUME: Where do you write?
KZ: When I’m developing new work, I tend to write in bed, in nature, or at events. Once I have a first draft done, I work at my desk or on the living room floor with print outs scattered across the floor.
PLUME: How do you balance time for writing with work, and other obligations?
KZ: This is the million dollar question. There is no balance. Writing time comes out of sleep time, house cleaning time, and time I could be playing. in the 21st century The idea of balance between where our passions lie and the source of our paycheck does not exist for those of us who have to work for a living.
PLUME: What have been the biggest influences on your writing? What you write about? Your life as a writer?
KZ: I have been a voracious reader all my life. The magical worlds of Frank L. Baum and Walter Farley, TC Boyle’s fictionalized social satires are all in there with amazing books by Gish Jen and so many authors whose names I don’t remember but whose work has shaped me. Mythology fascinates me and I love learning the deities from different cultures and their narratives.
During my undergraduate years, one of my writing professors told us that Willam Burroughs couldn’t have written what he wrote if he had not lived as he lived, but he also could not have written books such as Junkie and Naked Lunch if he didn’t stablize his life. In other words, live big and bold, then take a break and reflect on your experiences and the situation of the world around you. At the interesection of your pain and the world is where the story lies.
PLUME: What are the biggest challenges your life as a writer?
KZ: Writing is an addiction and is just as destructive as most addictions. You spend all your free time writing and are late for work because you were writing. You spend too much money on writing workshops, books on writing, and conferences. If you publish a piece, you may get a free copy of the publication and something to put on a resume. It gets in the way of making money, rest, and taking care of such mundane tasks as cleaning the bathroom. My life is unmanageable due to this addiction.
PLUME: Do you have any writing rituals?
KZ: Writing when I awaken and am half in a dream state is my solution to finding the path forward. I also abstain from chocolate while I am working on a tough writing problem until it is solved or I cannot find a path forward.
PLUME: How supportive is your local community for writers?
KZ: San Diego has a great writing community. We have an independent writing space called San Diego Writers Ink with workshops for the novice to the professional and everyone in between. Whenever I ask for support from one of my fellow writers, it shows up in spades.
PLUME: What are some of your self-care practices?
KZ: Bike riding, swimming in the ocean, yoga, gardening, chocolate.
PLUME: What is your favorite book about writing?
KZ: I couldn’t pick just one: The Writers Way, Writing Down the Bones, The Art of Inquiry, Novel Cram.
PLUME: What are you currently working on?
KZ: Currently I am recovering from the publication of my first novel and learning how to market my work. I also have a couple of blogs that I write, one for myself and one for the Rainbow gathering July 4th prayer for world peace.
PLUME: What’s next? Another novel? Poetry? What do you know now that you didn’t know when you started?
KZ: I want to write a mytho-poetic book exploring my father’s life against the backdrop of World War II and the Soviet Union while using his experiences as a framework to discuss the impacts of war and violence on displaced communities and the brutal choices people make to stay alive using the mythology and folklore of Estonia.
When I started writing, I didn’t know books would become creatures of times gone by, people would be so dependant on a small screen in their back pocket that they could not take their eyes off of and gaze on the beauty of their children, the ocean, or the mountains, and I never believed I would become a middle-aged woman on the cusp of being a senior citizen.
BIO:
Karin E. Zirk earned her doctorate in Mythological Studies with an emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute in 2016. Her first novel, Falling From The Moon, was released in early 2020. Her collection of poetry, Notes from the Road, chronicled her years traveling the USA in a Volkswagen camper van. Her poetry and short stories have appeared in numerous small journals. When she is not at work in the technology industry, she is trying to save Rose Creek and attending peace and healing gatherings. She lives in a beach community in San Diego where she spends her free time swimming in the ocean and riding her bike. Trees are her friends.
Find her online: www.karinzirk.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/karin-zirk-phd/
https://www.facebook.com/karin.zirk
@KarinZirk (twitter)
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