So, this is the way we start April.

The first Sunday in April.

The first day of the month.

A day of joyous celebration and continuing recognition.

A day of blessings and rejoicing. 

And on this Sunday, time for a chat.  

Enjoy bill’s brief conversation with Pamela Havens.

bill berry, jr.:

Hey Pamela, you have been an aaduna supporter and contributing editor for how long now…?  We also know, that you have been a “closeted,” behind the curtain writer of poetry and fiction.  So, to kick-off this brief 2018 chat, please share what you are up to creatively and when will you be ready to share your imagination with the public?

Pamela Havens:

I can’t recall when I signed-on as an aaduna editor—it’s been that long! At the time, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Granted, editing has played a significant role in my livelihood over the years, but this was different. I know, first-hand, how very personal creative writing is. There is great labor involved in the process and then you put your soul on display, hoping someone will appreciate (and enjoy!) the effort.

This experience has turned out to be one of the great blessing of my life. I have read amazing pieces that have expanded my horizons. Each author I have been privileged to work with, has impressed and inspired me with their storytelling and character development. Their style, their passion for their craft has left me awed and humbled, challenging me to be more honest and forthcoming in my own writing.

I write under a pseudonym, so you may have already read something of mine and not known it! 😊 For the past five and a half months, I have been seriously working on a novel, the story for which has been “in development” for nearly a half-dozen years. A second novel is “percolating” in my brain. Genre-wise, the pair are at opposite ends of the spectrum. I am also working on a short story and series of poems. When any of these pieces might be ready for publication is hard to determine. Unfortunately, the editor in me sometimes takes over and makes it difficult for me to progress on projects as quickly as I might want. There are days when I wish I could turn that piece of me “off” but, for better or worse, while I can’t not write, I also cannot not edit either!

bb:

You appear to be in the folds of a literary dilemma.  And I am not sure that any writer is the best person to edit one’s work since what you see and read is already embedded in your mind a certain way and all too often there is too much to really see in the proper way to edit.  So, there are two novels in development, can you give us a teaser about what each one is about? Or, better still, give us a paragraph or several lines that you have written. And are you presenting either work-in-progress at open mic opportunities to gauge public response to where you are heading?  If not, why?

PH:

Hmm. Although I understand well the complications that arise from the inability to separate the editor from the writer, what I have discovered is that, as I edit, I often begin to see new possibilities, new connections, I hadn’t considered before. Usually, when I let go and give into that process, the narrative becomes more robust. Although it can be incredibly time consuming and frequently frustrating, I also find it exhilarating! While I always have a general idea of what my stories are about, and usually write my endings first, I am ever-open to having those stories evolve on their own. And, sometimes, where I end up turns out to be different than what I had originally planned!

Regarding the two novels in development: one is a romance and one is a mystery. Both are a study in human interactions and relationships, exploring friendship and love and loss. I have shared part of one of these with a good friend, who has a personal interest in and knowledge of the story’s genesis. While I have been writing creatively since I was about six, very little of what I have written has ever been shared broadly, although I did do one poetry reading last summer. The goal of my writing has never been about the sharing, but about the process and the unrelenting need to express myself through storytelling. A writer is not what I am, but who I am.

She suspected there was someone else, hiding in the wings, just out of sight. Someone longing to come front and center, but unable to, lest his soul be dissected in full public view. She wondered if anyone ever got close enough, if he ever let go enough to let anyone in.

bb:  

Intriguing snippet.  Thank you. So what else enthralls you besides writing?  And how have those interests shifted over the years with different experiences and/or enhanced maturity?

PH:  

Music. I couldn’t live without music. And despite what people who know me think, my “tastes” are eclectic. If I wasn’t a writer, I might have chosen to become a singer. Although it would have been a short career, if I went the way of the long-haired classics! I am much more your contemporary Karaoke-crooner. 😊

I also have a passion for art, specifically impressionist and impressionist-style works. And before you ask, van Gogh’s Starry Night (1889) is my favorite piece. I feel very fortunate to have been able to view some of Vincent’s masterpieces up close a number of years ago at San Francisco’s de Young Museum, whose exhibit included the “other” Starry Night (Over the Rhône, 1888).

Both of these interests have not so much shifted over the years, as they have expanded to encompass my broader exposure to and experiences with new styles/genres. But, the artists (performance and visual) that originally piqued my interests, just as those first authors that moved me with their writing—Wilder, Crane, Emerson, Thoreau, Dickens, Frost—have remained largely constant. And they have each provided special inspiration for my own work.

bb:

You have a penchant and attraction for classical creative people.  As a singer, I suspect you would have become a lounge or cabaret vocalist…smoky, red curtain draped rooms…intimacy, quiet click of ice against cocktail glasses…you and a pianist, well-dressed people in your audience…and then me to keep it real! Anyway, it has been delightful chatting with you but all good things have to come to an end.  So, in closing, I know you are a Mom and wife. Your “children” are college-aged adults and I have known your daughter and son from birth, and your husband before children.  (Oh my!)  I just have to ask.  What is the household like when the “kids” are home for any extended time, i.e. semester breaks, summer, etc.? And thank you Ms. Havens for chatting with me and sharing.  It is appreciated.

PH:

When everyone is here, the house is full of this wonderful buzz. It is often noisy and sometimes chaotic, punctuated by lots of good natured banter and laughter from the young people. And it warms my heart and makes me feel young again and inspired. For my truest inspiration comes from, and my most enduring passion has always been, and will always be, centered around my family and friends. They are what sustain me. ©

Pamela Havens (photo provided)

Pamela Havens was born and raised in Plattsburgh, NY. She discovered a “second home” in the Finger Lakes when she attended and graduated with a BA in English/American Literature from Eisenhower College in Seneca Falls. She went on to earn an MA in liberal studies, summa cum laude, from the State University of New York, College at Plattsburgh, and then returned to central New York. Her 35-year professional career has encompassed forays in commercial radio, public television and nearly three decades in higher education administration. She is currently a member of the advancement team at Hamilton College in Clinton, NY. Her avocations from an early age have included penning poetry, short stories and plays. She is actively working on her first novel, with the beginning outline of a second novel in development.

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