Interviews

I love to write. I’ve always been a writer, since I’ve been old enough to hold a pen. I do creative writing, fiction, and dabble in spy fiction, travel writing, romance, historical fiction. Mostly I write short stories, and I’ve published a couple collections of short stories. I’ve self-published A Serious Evening in Vienna, The Love Letter with a Bullet Hole,and The Traveler’s Sketchbook. The last one dips into another creative outlet that I have which is drawing.

I want to start by thanking the NYS Writers Institute for making this event possible. What an incredible semester they’ve put together so far. Thanks to Paul Grondahl and his incredible team. They give a gift to— anyone who finds inspiration in the essential acts of reading and writing. So, thank you to the Institute for bringing Nana back to campus. It’s just an incredible pleasure to have him back here. As most of you know, Nana is a UAlbany alum. He was an English major here; he wrote his honors thesis here.

Martin Nakell is both a scholar and a creative writer. He currently teaches at Chapman University in CA and has received his Doctorate of Arts from the University at Albany in 1980. He also, attended Columbia where he served as Assistant Editor on Unmuzzled Ox.

Schwarzschild is the Director of Creative Writing and an Associate Professor in the English Department at the University at Albany. He’s also a Fellow at the New York State Writers Institute. He specializes in Fiction Writing and Contemporary Literature.  He received his Ph.D. in American Literature from Washington University in St. Louis and his MA in Creative Writing from Boston University.  He was also a Wallace Stegner Fellow in Stanford University’s Creative Writing Program.

Laurin DeChae is a poet that has been published in Rigorous, Rust + Moth, Really System, and Lines + Stars. She is a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the English Department at the University at Albany in New York. 

I first met Dennis Mahoney at the Albany Book Festival where he presented with a display of pictures akin to encounters of the third kind. I didn’t know much about the ethereal man, and I wanted to learn more.

The first time I met Jason Dalaba was when he read aloud poems of conjuration and esoteric musings at the Quoth the Raven event on Halloween.

He has walked the streets of the Capital Region poetry scene for decades, participating in the literary community in many ways: starting organizations, funds, events, and providing a solid example for new writers by continuously contributing his own work. He co-founded Albany Poets, started the The Troy Poetry Mission, and he has been published innumerable times.

If the clouded sky did not bring an air of remembrance to the Book House, then the people did, holding thinly bound, sunset toned books in hand, milling around the store, waiting for the author of God Needed a Puppy.