Lieffeil
I have the luxury of being a student of my chosen craft. That sounds somewhat ... pretentious. However, it's the plain truth. In jr/high school I was a studious pupil, but here at the FLAME, I'm basking in an education far different from, and far more delightful than, any curriculum ever offered in public school. I have the good fortune to be learning from an eclectic mix of writers - brilliant amateurs, and published vets alike. (And my mother never has to roust me out of bed to get to class on time!)
One of the FLAME's writers caught my attention soon after she joined last fall. She has an enigmatic, yet lovely style that never fails to draw me in whether she's decided to present poetry or prose. If you haven't yet had the pleasure, my darlings, let me introduce you to Lieffeil !
*after much chattering over recent book club read*
Kathy: Let's get started with the basics - just a little intro.
Lieffeil: Hi, FLAME. I'm Lieffeil, first time caller, long time fan.
Kathy: :D
Lieffeil: Not so long as some, though. I've been lurking around the site since last September. I wrote my first entry for the prompt "Parasite" in the car driving though the Rocky Mountains on my way to a new life in a new town. Since arriving on the West Coast, I've managed o surround myself with books. I'm studying Creative Writing and English Literature, and I work at a used bookstore where the stacks are so confusing that even a map wouldn't help you out. Think Labyrinth, but without the Muppets or David Bowie.
No one was really surprised by my choice of program, or my intention to become a writer. Which still has me a bit miffed. I hate being obvious.
Kathy: So, I take it you've been writing since childhood?
Lieffeil: Yeah, though I like to think I've come a ways since the days of The Myth of Mistress Lily of the Valley and the Goblin's Hovel.
Kathy: THAT WAS ONE OF YOUR TITLES?! Info. Please.
Lieffeil: As far as I can remember, the story was your basic fantasy hero quest, but with words that were way outside my age bracket for reading and writing. I'm not saying I was particularly intelligent for my age, I just really liked words. When I was seven, I threw a clown out of character at a friend's birthday party by suggesting that the picture that changed from his mother to his brother when he covered it with a cloth was actually just a picture of a hermaphrodite.
Kathy: ...
Lieffeil: Pretty much, yup.
Kathy: Bwahahahaha! So, I've never felt so sorry for a clown in my life. That's hilarious!
Lieffeil: It got worse as I got older. In junior high school, I got a note from the teacher on one of my papers that said, "Please stop trying to sound smarter than you are."
Kathy: Pfft.
As a young word lover, what sort of books were you drawn to? Other than the thesaurus, of course.
Lieffeil: I'm a big fan of older poetry: Wordsworth, Shelley, Coleridge. Those guys who could make a sentence that would be cheesy or lame into something fantastic and moving just because of the words they chose. Also, anything with wordplay: Douglas Adams ... Monty Python in my youth.
Kathy: Python!
Have you written a lot of poetry?
Lieffeil: Yes, but very little of it sees the light of day.
Kathy: *pesters Lieffeil to shine some light on at least one poem*
Have you considered what career path to follow after university? Also, I'm interested to know if you've considered submitting some of your work for publication.
Lieffeil: Ideally, someone wealthy will discover my genius and pay for me to write sweet nothings all day. If that doesn't work out, I might become a bee keeper.
Kathy: ...
Lieffeil: I've been published a few times - kids' magazines when I was younger, and the city newspaper in high school for some reviews of school plays. I think if I were to publish something now, I'd like to do it in an open sort of way. Perhaps on a podcast, nothing labelled ...
Kathy: Very nice!
Lieffeil: Uh, I found a poem from last year's class, but feel free to truncate it to your favorite verse.
Kathy: *applause* Gimme!
Lieffeil:
The cabin has inherited the unclaimed treasures of countless garage sales,
Wild mustangs spring forth from a neon sunset on the south wall,
while a needlepoint fawn labors over his cud to the east,
and an abandoned Learn-to-Crochet! project digs furrows in my back,
some sort of paisley pattern, maybe a rainbow.Lists brick one onto others, in queue for the trash bin,
Four ex-Catholics ingrained in me a permanent disbelief in Destiny.
However, given the accuracy with which I complete none of these tasks,
I may reconsider and raise chorus."Languages to Learn by the Time I'm Thirty."
"Ten Ways to be Greener Next Year."
"Steps to Achieving Balance and Harmony."
"Failed Romances to Document (In Tasteful, but Poetic, Metaphor)."When the Parentals arrive on Sunday night,
I grin pearly sweet and manage, "Wonderful, really."
Kathy: Wow. I like the tone. The way I read it, it's telling of a desperate attempt to appear normal when fearing drowning in personal failure. Very interesting how that imagery and tone comes through only the description of the immediate surroundings. Of course, I could be way off ...
Leiffiel: No, you're spot on! I was thinking (when writing it) that "normal" is like running on a treadmill every day. No one really likes it, but there's nothing socially unacceptable about doing it.
Kathy: Very true.
Okay, here's a Miss America-type Bonus Question:
Lieffeil: A submarine, or a lifetime supply of streudle ...
Kathy: :D
If I gave you a million dollars with the specification to donate it to any charity or charities of your choice, which would you choose, and why?
Lieffiel: Save the Manatee Club. Because the world needs strange looking animals. And once I had a dream where I filled out one fo thos adopt-a-manatee-forms, and then I accidentally checked the "save 'em all" box instead of "just one, please", and they all showed up on my doorstep.
I had to take them to the local pool to keep them hydrated in the shower room, but the showers had those buttons that only stay on for 30 seconds; so i had to run from one to the other to the other or the manatees would dry up like raisins. It was a very traumatic nightmare.
So I'd like someone else to take care of the manatees for me, please.
Kathy: Fantastic!
Thank you so much, Lieffeil! Which piece are you allowing me to feature?
Lieffeil: This is from a years and years ago: Ants
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