This week we talk to Danielle Wood about her piece ‘Hare’ which appears in Landmarks, the latest anthology curated by Spineless Wonders. During this interview Danielle describes an Australian landmark of significance to her, who inspires her writing and what inspired her micro-lit piece.
Tell us about a landmark that is significant to you
I used to live on Hobart’s Mt Wellington, and now I live where I can see it from most of the windows of my home. Whenever I travel, I miss my mountain. Having grown up with it, I think it orients me in a way that a compass never could.
What inspired you to write ‘Hare’?
Where I live now, on Mt Direction (across the river from Mt Wellington), there is a population of hares. Officially, they are vermin, but I love the sight of them – elegant and almost other-worldly – as they run across our paddocks at dawn and dusk. Also, I have a house rabbit, and I confess to being rather captivated by the lagomorph spirit.
How do you find the experience of writing to a theme?
It always fascinates me to see how differently a range of writers responds to the same stimulus – whether that’s a theme, a question, an art work or some other shared prompt. I imagine this collection will illustrate a great many facets of the concept ‘landmark’.
Describe your writing space
I have a gypsy caravan in my yard. It has sunflower headlight windows, a green leather-topped desk, some exquisite fairy tale pictures by photographer Lorena Carrington, and a bespoke dog bed for my kelpie, Scout.
Tell us about a writer or work that has inspired you as a writer
When it comes to microlit, the person I admire most is a friend, the English poet Abigail Parry.
Danielle Wood is an award-winning author whose books include The Alphabet of Light and Dark, Rosie Little’s Cautionary Tales for Girls and Mothers Grimm. Along with Heather Rose, she is ‘Angelica Banks’, author of the internationally acclaimed Tuesday McGillycuddy trilogy for children. Danielle teaches writing at the University of Tasmania.
Feature image via Flickr.com