Where are you from and what originally brought you to Paris?

I was born in Savannah, Georgia (US of A), raised in New York, and had been living in Los Angeles (where I squandered my childhood in film and television) before enrolling in the Kent Paris Creative Writing Masters Programme. My son was studying for a Bachelors and Masters at American University of Paris. So, Kent in Paris offered me the twin opportunities of studying in an excellent program while sharing digs in the 7ème with David. It was a splendid year on all counts. Papa was right; Paris is still a moveable feast.

What attracted you most about studying at PSAC?

I’d read a good deal about the PSAC program. And after reading their books, I was impressed by the instructors who would be available to me – particularly Dragan Todorovic and Amy Sackville. I’d urge every prospective creative writing student to read the work of the instructors they’ll study under and work with. Really good writers don’t always prove to be exceptional teachers. But at least you can be confident they know their onions. That’s important. Because as well as tutelage, you’re going to rely on them for that all-important criticism.

 

What were some of the highlights of your experience?

The classes I sat were, by and large, outstanding. And the pleasures of the classroom were delightfully augmented by the bright and interesting students with whom I shared them. They hailed from New Orleans and Moscow and Ho Chi Minh City. They were sharp and cosmopolitan. The conversations ranged every-which-way. And they had opinions about everything. So, the down-time between and after classes was as lively and thought-provoking as the classes themselves.

What are you currently doing and how did that come about?

The Kent PhD in Creative Writing caught my ear while listening to Dragan Todorovic describe how the programme worked. Then he turned to me and said, “You should think about doing it.” I did. And right now, I’m in the thick of a Kent PhD with Dragan as my primary supervisor and Amy Sackville as overseer. There’s one great thing about this program I would hammer home to anyone who wants to learn to write a novel: Enrolling for the Kent PhD gets you an editor (or two) who will work with you, stick with you, and give you their best for up to four years and even longer. You’ll never-ever enjoy that luxury again, not with any publisher or agent, not in the book publishing environment of this day and age. Not when manuscripts are supposed to arrive camera-ready at the editor’s desk. The era when Thomas Wolfe had Maxwell Perkins as a tenacious and belligerent guiding angel for seven years are long gone. At Kent, for the long run you’ll have an experienced, multi-published author to work with you, advise you, challenge and console you. That is certainly worth the price of admission.

Do you think that your studies at PSAC helped with your career or creative endeavours?

After I published my first novel, I took 20 years off to have a career. Then I went back to the keyboard, wrote of pair of political thrillers, produced one for television, then took another 20-year sabbatical to read Shakespeare at Oxford and write books about him. When I wanted to return to fiction, I was sure those chops would be rusty from disuse. Which is why I enrolled in the PSAC Creative Writing program as a form of literary body-building for a return foray into fiction. I’d say it’s worked out well. If the novel I’m writing is published, I’d say quite well.