Christian McPherson is a poet and novelist. He lives in
Ottawa with his wife and their two kids. He has written a bunch of books
including, The Cube People, Saving Her, and My Life in
Pictures. If he isn’t out walking his dogs, driving his son to hockey
practice or his daughter to cheerleading, he is usually sneaking off to the
movies.
Q: How
long have you been in Ottawa, and what first brought you here?
I’ve
been in Ottawa my entire life. I was born at the Civic Hospital in 1970. I was
brought here as a result of my parents’ passionate love making. I didn’t really
have a say in the matter. Poof, I arrived.
Q: How did you first get involved in writing, and
subsequently, the writing community here?
I was closing in on thirty and realized I wanted to do
something with my life other than go to work, and eat food, and watch TV, and
go to work, and drink beer, and watch TV, and go to work, etc. I wanted to
write screenplays but started with short stories and poetry because it seemed
less intimidating. I’ve been writing now for twenty-two years. As far as the
writing community goes, I consider myself as a bit of an outsider. I don’t
participate very often in readings, or in writing groups. When I started out, I
was in a poetry group. I don’t even how I got there or what happened to it.
Then I had two kids and I pretty much stopped participating in anything
involving the writing community. I still submit poems to Bywords.ca from time
to time. I know a bunch of Ottawa writers and sometimes we hang out socially or
I read something they have written when they want to share or get feedback.
Otherwise, time is still hard to come by, so if I have free time, I spend it
writing rather than hanging out and talking about writing. I have been asked to
be involved in a few Ottawa writing things. I leave the door open to
possibilities.
Q: How did being in such a community of writers shift
your thinking about writing, if at all?
Like I said, I’m the outsider most of the time. I’m
always interested, when I do talk to my writer friends, about what they are
working on, how they are working – are they taking time off, are they going
away by themselves somewhere isolated just to write, what is their editorial
approach. I’m also just happy to hear what they have been reading or watching
(TV and/or film). I think I would be doing that in any City. Just the other day
I had a conversation with a writer from Vancouver. With everything so global
and interconnected, I’m not sure it matters all that much where you are.
Q: What do you see happening here that you don’t see
anywhere else? What does Ottawa provide, or allow?
I’ve been to writer festivals/readings in Windsor,
Prince Edward County, Dundas, Hamilton, Toronto, Edmonton, and many here in
Ottawa. I think every community/town/city has their own writing things going
on. Ottawa has lots. Versefest is pretty cool. If you are starting out and
wanted to find a writing group to join, Ottawa is a pretty good spot to find a
home.
Q: Have
any of your projects responded directly to your engagements here? How have the
city and its community, if at all, changed the way you approached your work?
Ottawa
is a government town; we do bureaucracy real good here. I set my first two
novels, The Cube People and Cube Squared, on a fictitious
version of cubicle life in the public service. Write what you know; this is
Ottawa life for many of us. Many of the people of Ottawa seemed to enjoy these
books. I’ve written two collections of short stories and all of them except two
(I think) are set in Ottawa. I did that intentionally. I think you should write
what you know, but for me it was more than that – it was a kind of loyalty to
the city. There aren’t tons of books set here. I wanted to put in recognizable
landmarks and streets of Ottawa into my work so people would say, “Hey, I know
that place. Cool.” This is why for my third novel, Saving Her, I
deliberately set it in Ottawa. It was a thriller, so it could have been set in
any large city. Maybe if I had set it in Toronto, I would have sold more books
– ha! I have no regrets. I love Ottawa.
Q: What
are you working on now?
Well
I just finished a new double book of Poetry which is coming out this fall
(2020) entitled Walking on the Beaches of Temporal Candy from At Bay Press
out of Winnipeg. It’s my first hardcover and it has some flip animation illustrated
by a Winnipeg artist by the name of Michael Joyal. He also did the cover art
and I’m super excited about it. So, I will be working on promotion! Besides
from that I’m currently working on yet another book of poetry. I’ve also gone
back to drawing – more like sick and twisted doodles; black and white ink
drawings, often humorous like my writing. I’m hoping to put out a collection of
drawings and poetry. Dare to dream!
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