Karen Walker's story "Abstract" captivated us from first glance, with its interesting use of footnotes, its playful language, and overall inventive structure. There was absurdity, humor, emotion, and reality, all wrapped up in a creative form. Read a little more about Karen's take on weirdness in our conversation below—we especially loved her response to our last question, which made us think (and laugh).
What other creative endeavors do you pursue?
Drawing, painting, and gardening.
What place does weirdness have in your life?
Weirdness is a release from "normality," from the everyday.
Is a hot dog a sandwich?
No. What an upsetting question.
What’s your favorite cryptid?
Hugo the Abominable Snowman from the old Bugs Bunny cartoons.
There’s “good” weird…and there’s also "not-so-good" weird. What’s “good” weird to you?
To me, "good weird" reflects you or a piece of you. It isn't weird for the sake of weird.
What do you think of garden gnomes?
Again, upsetting.
Name a book that made you cry (or feel like crying).
Black Beauty. It's the first one I remember crying through.
What questions would you want to ask a fellow author or artist?
I'd ask an author or artist, "What part of you is in this work?" because, in weirdness, the creator could identify as the dining room table a family is gathered around or the turkey they're eating.
Read our full first issue here.
Karen Walker (she/her) is in a basement in Ontario, Canada. Her most recent work is in or forthcoming in A Thin Slice of Anxiety, Misery Tourism, Centaur, Cosmorama, Overheard, and Bending Genres. @MeKawalker883
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