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John Sheirer lives in Western Massachusetts with his wonderful wife Betsy and delightful dog Libby. He is in his 31st year of teaching at Asnuntuck Community College in Northern Connecticut where he edits Freshwater Literary Journal (submissions welcome). He writes a monthly column on current events for his hometown newspaper, The Daily Hampshire Gazette. His work has appeared recently in Five Minutes, Wilderness House Literary Review, Meat for Tea, Poppy Road Review, Synkroniciti, Otherwise Engaged, 10 By 10 Flash Fiction, The Journal of Radical Wonder, Scribes*MICRO*Fiction, Iceblink, A Thin Slice of Anxiety, and Goldenrod Review, among others. His latest book is Stumbling Through Adulthood: Linked Stories, which has been honored in nineteen award competitions, including the National Indie Excellence Awards, Independent Press Book Awards, Firebird Book Awards, Pencraft Book Awards, American Fiction Awards, New England Book Festival, and Eylands Book Awards. Forthcoming in fall 2023 is For Now: One Hundred 100-Word Stories. Find him at JohnSheirer.com. |
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Interview with John Sheirer
about his story "The Last Conversation"
Honorable Mention for The Scribes Prize
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What inspired this piece?
This piece began with my own personal experience dealing with my mother’s lung cancer decades ago. Even though I haven’t been able to write much nonfiction about that experience, the memories come back in a powerful way sometimes. So I decided to fictionalize this pivotal moment to try to capture the conflict I felt at the time. We all express our love in a variety of ways, including sometimes saying what our heart means even when our head is thinking something else.
Most of what I write fits squarely in the category of “realistic fiction,” but sometimes I like to slip in a little weirdness. Our minds sometimes take us places outside conventional experiences. While doing some routine dental hygiene recently, I actually started imagining how much more efficient the job could be if I used a few tools I had lying around the house. Having such thoughts is perfectly “normal.” Actually following through on those thoughts definitely wouldn’t be.
What draws you to the micro-fiction format?
Challenge and practicality draw me to microfiction. The challenge of creating a coherent story in such a small package is very exciting. Developing characters, encouraging reflection, injecting dialogue, hinting at setting, and building a narrative flow—and then editing to exactly 100 words is fun and rewarding. And in a practical sense, I love writing longer stories as well, but I still work full time and have numerous personal commitments. So I love the fact that I can mull a story over all day, draft it in ten minutes, and then spend a few weeks revising, editing, and polishing.
What's next on the horizon for you?
I finished a very long story (13,000 words) that was recently published as a stand-alone ebook. It’s called The Oldest Male Kindergarten Teacher in America: Guy Mann’s last day as a kindergarten teacher is interrupted by a child’s tantrum. As Guy deals with the situation as only he can, he reflects on a career that spans more than five decades and a life filled with purpose, love, family, and unexpected tragedy. I’m hoping to promote this eBook, especially as a resource for discussion among teachers.
My next print book, For Now: One Hundred 100-Word Stories, will be published shortly by the wonderful Meat For Tea Press. This one will also be available as an eBook and an audiobook. I’m excited about the book release and hope to do lots of in-person and online events. For anyone looking to schedule a speaker or interview guest, please feel free to contact me.
Anything interesting happening in your life that's not related to writing?
Yes! My stepson recently got married near their home in Colorado, and he and his lovely bride asked me to officiate the ceremony! That was definitely the highlight of the year!
This piece began with my own personal experience dealing with my mother’s lung cancer decades ago. Even though I haven’t been able to write much nonfiction about that experience, the memories come back in a powerful way sometimes. So I decided to fictionalize this pivotal moment to try to capture the conflict I felt at the time. We all express our love in a variety of ways, including sometimes saying what our heart means even when our head is thinking something else.
Most of what I write fits squarely in the category of “realistic fiction,” but sometimes I like to slip in a little weirdness. Our minds sometimes take us places outside conventional experiences. While doing some routine dental hygiene recently, I actually started imagining how much more efficient the job could be if I used a few tools I had lying around the house. Having such thoughts is perfectly “normal.” Actually following through on those thoughts definitely wouldn’t be.
What draws you to the micro-fiction format?
Challenge and practicality draw me to microfiction. The challenge of creating a coherent story in such a small package is very exciting. Developing characters, encouraging reflection, injecting dialogue, hinting at setting, and building a narrative flow—and then editing to exactly 100 words is fun and rewarding. And in a practical sense, I love writing longer stories as well, but I still work full time and have numerous personal commitments. So I love the fact that I can mull a story over all day, draft it in ten minutes, and then spend a few weeks revising, editing, and polishing.
What's next on the horizon for you?
I finished a very long story (13,000 words) that was recently published as a stand-alone ebook. It’s called The Oldest Male Kindergarten Teacher in America: Guy Mann’s last day as a kindergarten teacher is interrupted by a child’s tantrum. As Guy deals with the situation as only he can, he reflects on a career that spans more than five decades and a life filled with purpose, love, family, and unexpected tragedy. I’m hoping to promote this eBook, especially as a resource for discussion among teachers.
My next print book, For Now: One Hundred 100-Word Stories, will be published shortly by the wonderful Meat For Tea Press. This one will also be available as an eBook and an audiobook. I’m excited about the book release and hope to do lots of in-person and online events. For anyone looking to schedule a speaker or interview guest, please feel free to contact me.
Anything interesting happening in your life that's not related to writing?
Yes! My stepson recently got married near their home in Colorado, and he and his lovely bride asked me to officiate the ceremony! That was definitely the highlight of the year!