Interview: Alison Gresik

You've been getting bits and pieces of my writing story in the entries here; now you can read a longer version in this interview published in Stonework, a journal of Houghton College. The interview took place in March 2005, when I participated in their writing festival. My thanks to the interviewer, Lori Huth, and to the publisher of Stonework, Jack Leax.

For the next year, I just really focused on taking care of myself. Extravagant care, I called it. I made sure that I had time to rest, and that I was not putting up with so many expectations about meeting the needs of others and looking after everyone else before myself. I was very gentle with myself, and learned what I needed to be healthy. Part of that was realizing if I wasn’t writing, everyone else was out of whack. I really believe that writing is one of my core purposes for being on this earth. I had to learn to say no to others so that I could spend the time that I needed to writing. I’m still learning that balance. I still get into trouble sometimes by over committing myself, so it’s always a struggle to find that balance.

Stonework also published a story of mine that originally appeared in Descant, called "Broken Water."