An Interview with Lenore Weiss

Lenore serves as the Associate Creative Nonfiction (CNF) Editor for the Mud Season Review. Her environmental novel Pulp into Paper was published on Earth Day by Atmosphere Press. Around the same time, she gave birth to her newest poetry collection, Video Game Pointers, from WordTech Communications. Lenore earned an MFA degree in fiction from San Francisco State University and lives in Oakland, California.

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

Doing research for my book at ULM (University of Louisiana in Monroe), I came across a phrase that stuck with me—pulp into paper. I immediately felt that those three words told the story of my novel, not only about the production of paper, but also about the lives of my characters and how they navigate through their own shaky waters.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I love the work of so many authors including Virginia Woolf, Toni Morrison, Odessa Moshfegh, Luis Alberto Urrea, Anthony Doerr, and Ursula Le Guin.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

For many years, I worked in the computer industry as a technical writer, which I see as part of my apprenticeship as a writer—learning how to use words accurately and clearly. I authored a blog for the public called “TechTableTalk: It’s Not Over Your Head,” and enjoyed researching environmental topics. Later, I found my way out of the cubicle and tutored students in writing and critical thinking.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

I hope my reader enjoys Pulp into Paper and feels that their money was well spent in purchasing a copy. I hope readers can identify with the characters who are not dissimilar from themselves in the daily choices they make between supporting their families without compromising their own personal values, and what happens when they are forced to do so.

What new writing projects are you currently working on? Or, other projects that are not writing?

Elder fraud is the theme of my new project, a result of our oh-so-connected world.

How was working with Atmosphere Press? What would you tell other writers who want to publish?

Be prepared to work with a fine team that wants you to succeed in every way possible! Know your book and your audience and who needs to tell your story.

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.