Whether you’re writing a book, a poem, or a play, Anna Chatterton wants to see what you’ve got.
Chatterton is the in-residence writer for both London Public Library and Western University, evaluating the work of London’s writers and providing crucial feedback to help push their project to the next level.
XFM News interviewed Chatterton about her role:
READER’S NOTE: The audio and transcript of this interview have been carefully edited to fit a smaller timeframe, while also keeping integrity as a top priority.
Q: As a writer in-residence, what do you do and what are your duties?
A: So I meet with the public. I am available for them on Tuesdays from 11AM to 2PM at Western University, at the University College building and then at the London Public Library from 3PM to 6PM so you can make a consultation with me we can set up a date and then you send me 10 pages of your writing and I will give you feedback but also if you’re not ready to send writing, you can also come and just chat with me about all things writing.
Q: What was your background that led you into this writer in-residence role?
A: Essentially I’m a playwright or predominantly, I should say I am a playwright. I’ve spent almost 3 decades writing plays, having them produced by professional theatre companies, getting them published, and being a theatre practitioner I’m also an actor and a librettist. And then probably when I turned around 40 I wanted to feel useful and so then I started to add into my practice teaching. I’ve taught play writing and acting at Humber College and Sheridan in their creative and publishing program and then I currently teach a couple of courses at McMaster in their interdisciplinary arts program and then I do workshops outside of institutions as well. It actually also feeds me to meet with emerging writers and talk about writing and the creative process. It’s actually part of the writing practice for me at this point to have that mentorship role but I also like to get mentored by senior writers so I still look for mentorship, I’m still learning.
Q: What is the range of work that is submitted to you, who submits to you, and what pieces are they making?
A: It really is the general public and students of Western – 19-year-old in their first year of university, all the way to people who are in their 60s, 70s, retired and writing. So I have people who are sending me play because they know I’m a playwright, I have people who are sending me poems, I have people who are sending me the first chapter of their novels. In general is just an opportunity to talk about storytelling to talk about writing practice so pretty much anyone can make an appointment with me if they want to talk about writing
Q: Have you come across any pieces that you believe could be a massive success in the future?
A: I mean I certainly have met some writers thus far, that I’m really excited about what they’re creating. These are writers that I feel have a really unique voice and are really exploring something creative that maybe has not been seen as often. It’s fairly common to sort of fall into the pattern of copying someone else’s voice as a photo as opposed to sort of distinguishing yourself and finding your own voice.
Q: When you get submissions, what feedback should those writers be expecting to hear from you?
A: I give a little overview. I always give positive feedback. There’s always something good to be said. Something that I noticed the most and I tend to give feedback to the most is including sensory details. Smell, touch, taste, sound, things that people aren’t necessarily remembering to include but actually really will engage a reader. In general it’s like friendly but direct feedback, and then they can ask me any questions that they have, it becomes a discussion.
Q: What advice do you have for aspiring writers who are looking to stand out in this age of advanced artificial intelligence?
A: I find that AI is terrible at writing, which is excellent. Now we don’t know if that’s gonna stay, but I really think that staying true to an authentic voice and really staying on your creative path is really important. I also think that it’s important to campaign for AI not to do our creative writing for us. It’s really important as human beings to be reading, to be creating. It’s how we can survive the chaos that is happening in our lives right now and there has never been a society or a civilization that has not had art a part of it.
Q: What else do you want people to know about you?
A: I think the most important thing for people to know is that I’m very approachable. I’m super friendly, being kind is my number one priority so I’m not there to tear you apart or make you feel bad about yourself. I applied for this role because I like to encourage creativity in people. I’m going to talk honestly about how you can improve your writing and give you techniques and tools to do that but you will feel welcomed, and people walk away encouraged and inspired.
