It's almost an understatement to say that Megan Stielstra has her hand in many pies. The ambitious writer participates in literary readings anywhere from two to 15 times a month; co-edits a biannual literary magazine entitled
Sleepwalk; is an artist-in-residence at Barefoot Productions, where she creates collaborative storytelling; and has three fiction-writing-teaching gigs. Not to mention her dedicated
blogging, journaling and fiction writing pursuits.
Stielstra's blog is equally abundant. Started about a year and half ago in an effort to get herself back into the daily grind of writing, she blogs on topics ranging from dress shopping with her mom to overheard conversations at a bar. Like live readings, blogging offers Stielstra immediate feedback. So read on, and write back.
What's the gist of your blog?
The fascination of everyday occurrences that we wouldn't notice because we're too busy living our lives. There's a quote—"I know what I think when I see what I say." It's me trying to figure out what I think, whether that means for issues of my life or issues of my work and how can I use this stuff in my fiction. It's a testing ground for me. If people enjoy it, that is amazingly, profoundly awesome. Not awesome in that '80s, valley girl way but awe-inspiring.
If I read your blog today, gimme one thing I'd learn.
One thing you'd learn right now is that I got a marriage license a couple days ago, and it took me longer, more time and more paperwork and more of a background check for me to get a zoning sticker for parking than it did to get my marriage license. My maid of honor is a gay men... and he had to go to Toronto to get married. The idea of the state's idea of representing marriage as [compared to] the state's actual respect of marriage. You would learn that a homeless guy with an Internet certificate of being ordained can marry you in two minutes outside of the Cook County clerk's office, and for a couple extra bucks he'll even take your Polaroid.
My computer is surrounded by...
It's a laptop, so it's surrounded by wherever I am at the moment. I write anywhere I can. I have three jobs, so it could be surrounded by a whole lot of people in a cafe, by a whole lot of college students or by my pit bull. But probably wherever I go there's gonna be a cup of coffee and a moleskin.
How do you pay the bills?
Teaching [fiction writing at Columbia College, University of Chicago and as the director of story development at Serendipity Theater]. I'm very lucky that my day job is just me surrounding myself with writers who are of all different ages and levels and ideas. It's constant fire...there are kids there that did something so amazing that I have to go home and write something so they don't show me up.
When you aren't loving blogging, you're loving BLANK in Chicago.
I go to a lot of readings. I love them. I go to a lot of plays and live shows. I try to get out and live a little. My job revolves around sitting in front of papers, talking about writing. It's good to get away from that and have something to write about and something to see and experience. I'm a huge fan of the Dollar Store and Sunday Salon, RUI at Sheffield's. I like to be a part of how good art translates to an audience [with] music, theater, movies.
Name a local blogger extraordinaire.
Elizabeth Crane. I read her blog religiously. I read Gapers Block, Viki Babbles, Featherproof Press and another one called This .25 Life Crisis.
Jessica Herman likes peeking into other folks' lives, which sure helps when she's grilling hip Chicago bloggers. If you'd like to shower a little love on a local blogger whose antics and anecdotes are your favorite flavor of procrastination, shoot her an email.
Subscribe in your favorite reader using the links below. To learn more about feeds and RSS, click here.
