Kathryn Mockler is the author of the story collection Anecdotes (Book*hug Press, 2023), five books of poetry, and several short films and experimental videos. She co-edited the print anthology Watch Your Head: Writers and Artists Respond to the Climate Crisis (Coach House Books, 2020) and she runs Send My Love to Anyone, a literary newsletter, which was a Substack featured publication in 2023. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of Victoria where she teaches screenwriting and fiction.

Ok, maybe let’s get right down to the business: You’ve published a few books of poetry, a chapbook, and co-edited an anthology, as well as created many films. Anecdotes, a book of stories that just came out in September (Book*hug, 2023), is your prose debut. I know that poets don’t generally have agents, and I’m wondering if you found an agent to sell your book of stories or if you got your publishing deal without one. If you did have an agent, can you talk a bit about the process of finding an agent? And do you think it’s important for prose writers to have an agent? If you didn’t use an agent, can you talk a bit about the process of submitting your manuscript and signing a publishing contract on your own? And do you think you’ll find an agent for subsequent works of prose?

I have a film agent who generously reads my book contracts, which is great. I haven’t felt that I really need a literary agent right now. I don’t think an agent would have gone near my book to be honest. One of the reasons I’m passionate about supporting small presses is that they are willing to take risks on weird or unconventional books, and writers can still submit to most small presses without an agent. If a writer is interested in the small press world, I recommend getting to know the publishers that you want to submit to. Read their books. Show up to their events if they are in the same city as you. Many offer internships, which is another way to get to know a publisher. The small press world is often about building relationships.

Let’s talk a bit about your newsletter, Send My Love to Anyone. You recently did a talk for a Federation of BC Writers mini-summit on newsletters for writers, so maybe I’ll just get you to talk again about some of the points you touched on there. Can you talk about what you think the benefits are for a writer to have a newsletter?

In January 2021, like most of my projects, I started a literary newsletter on a whim. I had spent the last year and half running an online climate crisis journal and co-editing an accompanying print anthology. I also had extreme writer's block and was under contract for a story collection (Anecdotes) which wasn’t yet finished. So I decided to start another literary project. I wanted my newsletter to be a hybrid between a personal newsletter where I would do my own writing and a lit journal where I would also publish other writers and artists. Many newsletter platforms have ways that you can support other writers and some allow you to monetize your newsletter. My newsletter is free but paid subscribers have access to the full archive and they are supporting the site, which helps me pay guest writer honorariums, and enabled me to bring on Kirby (author of Poetry is Queer) as a columnist.

I started a newsletter because I wanted to start a newsletter. I like publishing other writers. I like sharing links. I like having a reason to write something. There are benefits to having a newsletter, but it will become a chore if it is not something you genuinely like to do. A newsletter can help you build an email list, it can make you write regularly (especially if you’ve monetized it), it can allow you to connect with others, it can secure potential opportunities, and it can be a place to promote yourself and your book. But I only recommend starting a newsletter if you are interested in the newsletter as a project in and of itself. If you are going in expecting your newsletter to translate into major book sales (and you’re not already a household name), it will likely be disappointing.

Can you give us a few examples of writers’ newsletters you enjoy and why you think they’re a good example, or a good potential template for writers who are thinking of starting a newsletter to follow?

I enjoy these newsletters because they are consistent and have a clear premise. They know what they are trying to do, and they accomplish it. These are also the newsletters that I open regularly and actually read. I am guilty of signing up for more newsletters than I can possibly read so if I open one and engage that certainly means something.

• Sitting in Silence (Maurice Carlos Ruffin)

• Art of Flash Fiction (Kathy Fish)

• Writer Therapy (Sonnet Champsee)

• Sweater Weather (Brandon Taylor)

• Inneresting (John August)

• The Audacity (Roxanne Gay)

• Before and After the Book Deal (Courtney Maum)

• Craft Talk (Jami Attenberg)

• Send My Love to Anyone Prompts

How do you deal with the deflating side of being an author—not being mentioned on lists of books “we’re anticipating,” not being on awards lists, negative reviews, etc.?

Being a writer is often an exercise in humiliation and disappointment. Knowing this, I try my best to check my ego at the door. I’m not a fan of award culture—it’s not something I personally aspire to. Engaging with readers and making genuine connections are things I value much more.

Yes, it can be disappointing if your book doesn’t make a list and the book graveyard (which I wrote about for SMLTA) feels like it’s breathing down your neck, but this is all the more reason to enjoy the small moments and wins.

Tell me a bit about Anecdotes. For how long were you working on these stories? How did the process of writing them differ from writing books of poetry or screenplays?

Anecdotes is a collection of stories that has four sections. Each section is written in a different style and tone but thematically connected around abuse, sexual violence, the climate crisis. One of the stories was written in my 20s, but most of them were written in the last five or so years. Some started as social media posts. Others were part of a video series I’m working on about the climate crisis. My process is a little all over the place and chaotic. I work on a bunch of things at the same time. I’m often moved by whim and inspiration. Writing screenplays is a little more structured and intentional for me. I need to have a sense of the whole before I dive in.

I’m always interested in how writers pay rent and feed themselves. I know you teach at UVic’s creative writing department. Do you do anything else as a “day job”? And, how do you manage your time between all of the things you do—how do you set aside time for your own writing?

I taught part-time at Western University for 17 years, and I also ran private writing workshops and offered manuscript evaluations and coaching services. I joined the Department of Writing at UVic in 2020. It’s a full-time job so I’m focused on that, running Send My Love to Anyone, and writing. To set aside time for writing, I have a co-working buddy, and we meet a couple of times each week to write over Zoom. Having that accountability really helps.

On this topic, how do you feel that teaching writing—having to think about it and explain it to others as a craft, to understand and explain why a student’s writing is or is not working—has affected your own writing?

Yes, I learn a lot about writing by teaching it. For example, I’ve learned a great deal about narrative from teaching screenwriting which then informs all of my writing no matter the genre. As a teacher I try to get out of the writer’s way as much as possible. I want the writers I work with to lead the discussion about their own work. This involves listening, paying attention, and asking questions rather than imposing myself and my opinions on their work. As a writer I’m trying to take this same approach with my own work. I’ve discovered it is quite challenging to articulate what I’m doing and why, but it’s also rewarding.  

What are your thoughts on Goodreads? Do you think authors should ignore it, worry about it, engage with it? Do you ever use it to decide whether or not to read a book?

There are a few people who I follow on Goodreads to get book recommendations. So I do use it as a reader. As a writer, I deeply appreciate when readers take the time to put their thoughts down and engage meaningfully with my book whether they like it or not. There’s not a lot of review outlets and the Goodreads reviews have been so great I’ve quoted them on my website. But I have a small press book. My numbers of reviews and ratings are modest, so I’m not getting a ton of hate and that informs my perspective.

I’ve a had a good run so far with Anecdotes. Book*hug has an amazing publicity team, and they support their writers well. The book has gone into its second printing, which has never happened to me before, so I’m very pleased about that. I did a little book tour in Ontario, Quebec, and BC. I’m grateful to all the readers and friends who have shared the book or written about it. I try to savour these moments. The real task for me now is to get on with the business of my next project.

What would be your number one piece of advice for an emerging author (a) creatively and (b) about the business side of writing?

Try to figure out your own writing process and don’t beat yourself up if it’s not like someone else’s. I don’t write every day and I often work on multiple projects at a time. This works for me. It might not work for someone else. I need to follow my own process and not force myself to engage a process that doesn’t suit me. For the business of writing, I recommend making long-term and short-term writing goals. And if you don’t have time to write, try writing in 10-minute spurts.

And finally, are you working on anything new now?

Now that Anecdotes is in the world, I’m turning my attention to a couple of screenplay projects, and I’m working on a novella about a stalker.