Interview with Author Laura Schadler

Laura Schadler's striking story "Diver" caught our eyes immediately with its quiet, thoughtful prose, distinct voice, and deep-rooted depiction of loneliness. A story with minimal to no dialogue is also a challenging thing to pull off, but here Laura's confident narrative doesn't leave any opportunity for doubt. Read a little more about the author in the short interview below!

Why write?

I have a Joan Didion quote taped to my wall above my desk: I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means.

Do you have a favorite book that broke your brain a little (or a lot)? 

The Wall by Marlen Haushofer is the book that has stuck with me more than any other. It’s both tedious and transcendent in the best way, and the final few pages are so sad, desperate, and weirdly hopeful. I can’t bring myself to say anything about the plot more specifically, but it’s about middle age and animals and feminism and dystopia, and I beg everyone to read it, and then message me so we can talk about it. 

What other lit journals are you into right now (and what do you like about them)?

It’s an exciting time for lit journals and to be a writer submitting work! I feel like there are more amazing small journals now than ever before. A few of my favorites are Bat City Review, Elastic, and Fork Apple, all three are just so cool and publishing great work. 

Do you enjoy editing? Why or why not?

I love editing! For me, editing is where things get weirder, better, and closer to what I really mean. I could edit forever and sometimes have to make myself stop because as long as I am editing, I get to stay in the world, and that’s my favorite part.  

When did you realize you were weird?

When I wore my nightgown over a pair of tropical print capris and suede-fringed boots to give a presentation on the stegosaurus in third grade. 

Favorite character name (yours or another’s)?

Mary Katherine "Merricat" Blackwood and Jonas (I know that’s two, but they’re inseparable!).

Laura is a fiction writer based in California. This spring, she was an artist-in-residence at the Ou-telier on Vancouver Island, and she is the co-founder and co-editor of the literature and art magazine Nulla. She is currently at work on a collection of ghost stories, of which “Diver” is one.