Interview with Nancy Hightower

Last one for Issue 7, folks. We’re working on three days until the submission period closes now, so hurry the hell up or else you’ll have to wait a whole month to submit.

Here’s Nancy, author of the poem “The Forgetting (Bathsheba’s Lament).”

Tell me about your poem “The Forgetting (Bathsheba’s Lament).”

The poem was inspired by the story of King David, when he’s gotten so old that he has trouble keeping warm. His officials bring him a young virgin tend to him, although he’s so old he can’t even have sexual relations with her. But I always wondered what Bathsheba thought of the whole situation. Bathsheba was the “great” love of his life—he broke all the rules for her and her second son was Solomon, who went on to rule. So, it’s all about seeing your body being replaced with a younger model.

What or who inspires you to write?

I’m not sure “inspired” is the best term, since often, one has to write when there is NO inspiration—they have to make it.
But other times, I would say certain stories resonate with me—such as those written by Flannery O’Connor and Franz Kafka. I love their surreal worlds and try to incorporate that strange otherness in my short stories and poetry.

Do you have a blog/website?
Yes, it’s nancyhightower.com

Where can we read you next?
I have a poetry collection coming out with Port Yonder Press later this year, plus some poems coming from Stone Highway Review and Forge Journal.

What are you working on right now?
A short fiction collection, called Kinds of Leaving. In these stories, the landscapes come alive in various ways. I am very much tied to sense of place—I’ve lived in the South, near the Four Corners area in Colorado, and now New York City. Those spaces and places seep into you.

Any advice for other writers?
I’m not one of those writers who write every day, but I would say that writers should always keep what they’re writing on the back burner. Always be jotting down notes or phrases you want to expand on.