We are excited to bring the next installment of The 14:55 Interview, a new series that takes a short, but deep dive into the writing life.
Get a glimpse into what makes your favorite creative types tick—from the writers who inspired them, to the weird habits that accompany the practice of writing, their favorite places in the world, and more. Each week, Sean Murphy, Executive Director of 1455, poses 15 questions in (less than) 15 minutes in this fast-paced and insightful series.
The Questions:
- The first book that made you want to be a writer?
(Or: what book changed your life?) - Your most profound artistic influence is?
- Album or movie you recommend without reservation?
- Best first (or last) line in any book, ever?
- Most underrated author?
- Why have you not read MOBY DICK?
(Or, which classic do you regret not reading?) - Is there a single theme or issue your work addresses?
- What’s your writing routine? (Or: do you believe in them?)
- Do you believe in writer’s block?
- Talk about the most significant setback (artistic or otherwise)
in your life? - How have you developed your career?
- Define or explain what literary success means to you.
- What do you wish you had known, as an artist, 10 or 20 years ago?
- Have you ever visited a writers retreat?
(If not, why; if so, how was your experience?) - One-minute exhortation for beginning writer looking for advice?
The Writers:
Jane Friedman has 20 years of experience in the publishing industry, with expertise in business strategy for authors and publishers. She’s the editor of The Hot Sheet, the essential industry newsletter for authors, and has previously worked for F+W Media and the Virginia Quarterly Review. In 2019, Jane was awarded Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World. Jane’s newest book is THE BUSINESS OF BEING A WRITER Also, in collaboration with The Authors Guild, she wrote THE AUTHORS GUILD GUIDE TO SELF-PUBLISHING. In addition to being a columnist with Publishers Weekly and a professor with The Great Courses, Jane maintains an award-winning blog for writers at JaneFriedman.com
Jessi Lewis grew up on a blueberry farm in rural Virginia. Her essays, short stories and poems have been published or are forthcoming in Oxford American, Carve, Sonora Review, The Pinch, Yemassee, and Appalachian Heritage, among others. Jessi’s novel manuscript, She Spoke Wire, was a finalist for the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction. Oxford American chose her short story, “False Morels,” as the 2018 Debut Fiction Winner. Her work has been supported by the Tin House Summer Workshop and Bread Loaf Environmental. Jessi has her MFA from West Virginia University. She now teaches writing in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and is in the final edits of a novel. Find her online at http://www.jessilewis.com/
Chuck Cascio is an award-winning journalist, educator, short-story writer, and business leader. The author of three nonfiction books, Chuck has had hundreds of news stories, feature articles, and opinion pieces published in a wide-range newspapers, magazines, and journals. Among Chuck’s awards are a National Endowment for the Humanities grant, a Suburban Newspapers of America Award for Column Writing, a Distinguished Teacher Award in the Presidential Scholars Program, a Rothman Institute Award for Entrepreneurial Leadership, and other honors and citations for journalism, creative writing, teaching, and business.
A native of Brooklyn, NY, Chuck moved to the Washington, DC, area at an early age, but he remains a New Yorker at heart. He earned a BS degree in Economics and Business from Wagner College on Staten Island, NY, and an MA in Communications from the American University in Washington, DC, where he later became an adjunct faculty member. Chuck also taught high school and was faculty advisor to student newspaper publications in Fairfax County, VA, receiving extensive recognition for his innovative approaches to teaching. After leaving the classroom, Chuck served as Vice President for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and then as Vice President for Educational Testing Service. Chuck and his wife, Faye (an award-winning science educator), are dedicated gym rats, who live in Reston, VA, near Washington, DC. Chuck now focuses on writing fiction that will be highlighted on this web site. He will also post blogs on various topics and intends to invite other writers to share their work on his blog at his sole discretion. Chuck can be found online at http://www.chuckcascioauthor.com/, and reached at chuckwrites@yahoo.com.
