Interview with Sherilyn Connelly

Monika: Today’s interview will be with Sherilyn Connelly, an American transgender writer from San Francisco, author of "Malediction and Pee Play”, featured in Topside Press‘s “The Collection: Short Fiction from the Transgender Vanguard”. She writes about movies and television for Medialoper and the popular Gawker Media blog io9 and is the head film critic for SF Weekly. Hello Sherilyn!

Sherilyn: Hi!

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Sherilyn: I'm a San Francisco-based writer. Most of my personal writing has been memoir, but over the past few years, I've been working professionally as a film critic and journalist for the Village Voice and SF Weekly.

Monika: How did you start writing?

Sherilyn: I'd always wanted to be a writer from a young age. Two things I wanted to be, actually, were a writer and a girl. At the time, the chances of either happening -- let alone both -- seemed impossibly remote.

Interview with Casey Plett

Monika: Today’s interview will be with Casey Plett, an American transgender writer, author of "Other Women", featured in Topside Press‘s "The Collection: Short Fiction from the Transgender Vanguard". Hello Casey!

Casey: Hi Monika! Before we start, I must apologetically let you know I am actually living in Canada as of this January, so I'm only sort of American at the moment!

Monika: How did you start writing?

Casey: Well I've always read. I think I was eight when I got this idea that being a writer would be cool, and then I alternated writing sad or wacky shit off and on through my pre-teen and teen years.

A month before my nineteenth birthday, I was in Seattle for a weekend and suddenly in a rush just started writing down everything that had happened to me in the preceding months and that's when I thought "Nah, I'm really gonna give this writing thing a go, I'm actually gonna try and do this."

And like lots followed after like I did a bunch of schools, and I had periods where I didn't write and just smoked weed and got drunk. But that weekend in Seattle is the turning point that exists in my head, I guess.

Interview with Susan Jane Bigelow

Monika: Today let me present Susan Jane Bigelow, an American transgender writer, librarian, political columnist, and author of "Ramona’s Demons", featured in Topside Press: “The Collection: Short Fiction from the Transgender Vanguard”. Susan writes a weekly political column for the outstanding Connecticut political news website, CT News Junkie, where she focuses on politics inside and relevant to the Nutmeg State. In 2005-2010, she wrote for the Connecticut political blog CT Local Politics. Hello Susan!

Susan: Hello, Monika! Thank you for having me.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Susan: Sure. I’m a librarian, a political columnist, and a writer. I live with my wife in the northeastern United States. I’m the author of the Extrahumans series, the Grayline Sisters series, and you can find my writing in QUEERS DIG TIME LORDS as well as the Topside Press COLLECTION.

Monika: How did you start writing?

Susan: I’ve always been a writer, even when I was little. I would make up stories, and my mother would encourage me to write them down. I can’t imagine myself without writing at this point.

Interview with Mikki Whitworth

Monika: Today’s interview will be with Mikki Whitworth, an American transgender writer, author of "Masks of a Superhero", featured in Topside Press‘s “The Collection: Short Fiction from the Transgender Vanguard” (2012). Hello Mikki!

Mikki: Hello, thank you for this opportunity to reach out to my readers and the community at large.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Mikki: What can I say about myself? I guess the one part of my life that stands out is that I am a disabled American veteran. I served my country in my youth. Now 25 years later, I am still picking up the pieces of that service. I have been with a wonderful man for 18 years, he has stood by my side through understanding my mental illness, standing next to me through transitioning, and returning to college at nearly 40.

Monika: How did you start writing?

Mikki: I started writing as a way to deal with my illness. I began writing with a group of veterans at my local veteran’s hospital. My first two major works were entered into the VA National Creative Arts Festival. They won silver and bronze medals. I knew I was doing something right and thus began my goal to write more and better, which eventually led to my desire to return to college.