Featured Writer: Hollay Ghadery
On creating space to write and writing advice.
Hello all,
I’m celebrating the seventh anniversary of the release of Surviving Stutthof: My Father’s Memories Behind the Death Gate (Latitude 46, 2017). Celebrating sounds like a strange word given the contents of this book, but I know how much it meant to my father to have it published, both in English and later in Finnish by Docendo Publishing in Finland. The time we spent together working on the book is so precious to me, and although it was at times painful and heart wrenching, we also found joy and laughter, and ultimately it brought us closer together. That’s the power of words, of storytelling, of memory. It will always be the most important book I’ve ever written. If you’re stalling out on your project, remember your why. Why are you writing this? Why is it important to you? Let your why guide you.
Please note a correction to last week’s newsletter. Sheila Stewart’s book launch date for If I Write About My Father (Ekstasis Editions, 2024). It will take place on October 6, 2024 at 3:00 PM EST at Society Clubhouse, 967 College Street, Toronto.
Please enjoy this week’s feature spotlighting author Hollay Ghadery.
About the author…
Hollay Ghadery is a multi-genre writer living in Ontario on Anishinaabe land. She has her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph. Fuse, her memoir of mixed-race identity and mental health, was released by Guernica Editions in 2021 and won the 2023 Canadian Bookclub Award for Nonfiction/Memoir. Her collection of poetry, Rebellion Box was released by Radiant Press in 2023, and her collection of short fiction, Widow Fantasies, is scheduled for release with Gordon Hill Press in fall 2024. Her debut novel, The Unraveling of Ou, is due out with Palimpsest Press in 2026, and her children’s book, Being with the Birds, with Guernica Editions in 2027. Hollay is the host of the 105.5 FM Neighbourhood Bookclub and a co-host HOWL on CIUT 89.5 FM. She is a book publicist and the Poet Laureate of Scugog Township. Learn more about Hollay at www.hollayghadery.com.
“I'd encourage women to write about whatever interests them, and not worry about shoving their work into the stifling box of "women's writing." Women's writing is whatever women write about.”
On a writing routine …
I have no writing schedule. At all. I write when I can find time, whenever that is. I work full time and have four young children, five chickens, three goats, and two dogs, so time doesn't present itself like a gift. I sometimes schedule writing time, the same way I schedule time to workout. The difference is I work out almost everyday. I don't actively write everyday, unless I am in the throes of a longer form project. For example, when I was writing my forthcoming novel, I found myself consumed by the world I was creating. I wrote practically every day, even if for 10 minutes. With my memoir, I worked on the essays that would make up that book over the course of years. I'd do an essay at a time, usually completing a first draft in a day then picking at it for weeks or months. Same with short stories. And my forthcoming children's book. Poetry is by far the least demanding genre. I spend weeks, months, and sometimes years collecting scraps of thought and image, and then eventually, a poem emerges ... which I will often edit for a month or more.
I think I seem more prolific than I am, having five books completed and accepted for publication in just a few years, but this snapshot is deceiving. With three of the five books, I had pieces written for years before that. Everything simply came together in relatively compressed succession. The exception is the novel, which I wrote and had accepted in just over a year. It's no coincidence this is the same year that my youngest child—the last remaining babe at home—started kindergarten.
I live with OCD. That already makes me feel like I am being crushed under the heft of all the things I think I have to do. I try not to make writing another oppression. I try to allow for changes. Maybe one day I will have a set time of the day I can write everyday, but that's not my life right now.
On writing spaces …
I write anywhere! I have no favourite place and have had to train myself to be extremely unprecious about the whole endeavour. Sure, there are flashes of inspiration in my writing life, but most of it, for me, is just grunt work: one word after another, on a walk, in the passenger seat of a car, while eating lunch, waiting for the kids in the car, in bed at night. I prefer silence when I write, but never depend on it.
On writing communities …
I have a few trusted writer friends I send early drafts of my work, but I don't have a writing group. I belong to various organizations, including The Writer's Union of Canada. The Creative NonFiction Collective, The National Book Critics Circle, Scugog Arts, and I am a member of and the Regional Chair for The League of Canadian Poets. I am also the co-chair of the BIPOC committee for the League. Finally, I am the founder of River Street Writing, which is a boutique book publicity and author support services firm that specializes in working with authors from small presses in Canada. Additionally, I run The (CanL)It Crowd series on my website, which is where I invite authors to talk about their experiences with literary citizenship and community, from within the koan of CanLit. All of this community involvement helps keep me grounded. It reminds me that the only competition is myself, and that I don't have to try to make myself work within everyone else's framework. Community is a constant reminder of the marvelous range of experience, voice, and approaches to practice. In this way, it's the diversity in my community that encourages me to keep being myself.
On challenges …
I would say that having a full time job makes it difficult to write, and that's true, but because my job is working with authors and books, I feel like maybe I am always passively writing: even if I am not putting pen to paper, I am learning, reading, and gathering wool. If this is a challenge to making time for my own work, it is a wonderful challenge to face.
On the best writing advice …
Roo Borson, who was my mentor during my MFA, told me that books are mirrors and what people see is often a reflection of themselves. (I am paraphrasing the sentiment.) This has made me a better writer because it absolves me of thinking I'll ever make everyone happy. It also makes me a better reader. Now, if there's a book I don't connect with, I ask myself what my reaction says about me: my life, my expectations, my biases and prejudices. Sometimes, after soul searching, I find that my initial reaction was correct: I am simply not the right reader for this book. Perhaps the book was arguably poorly written. But sometimes, I find I brought some of my own baggage to the book and the problem is me. This is when it is time for more self-examination.
On the worst writing advice …
I don't know if there is one piece of advice in particular, but I do cringe whenever I read or hear someone use the word "should" in regards to any writing approach. With notable exceptions (like being hateful or appropriating a culture), I think writing is a place to free ourselves from the "shoulds" so I tend to ignore them.
On advice from personal experiences …
Without doling out a "should" and based only on my experience, I suppose I'd encourage women to write about whatever interests them, and not worry about shoving their work into the stifling box of "women's writing." Women's writing is whatever women write about.
On a recent publication …
My most recent book is a collection of short stories, Widow Fantasies, which is due out with Gordon Hill Press on September 1, 2024. I have a novel (The Unraveling of Ou, Palimpsest Press, 2026) and a children's book (Being with the Birds, Guernica Editions, 2027) in the wings, but I'm not at the editing stages of them now. So, I am back to poetry for a bit, which makes few demands on me or my time. I am working on a collection of occasional verse that explores the life events through the lens of living with existential OCD; a disease that fixates, terrifyingly, on questions of existence and mortality.
Hollay’s online spaces …
UPCOMING OFFERINGS…
Rekindle Creativity Women’s Writing Retreat
We have a few spaces left for Rekindle Creativity Women’s Writing Retreat from October 2-6, 2024 in Gore Bay on beautiful Manitoulin Island, Ontario. Register by Friday and join us for an inspirational retreat.
What you can expect:
Supported time to work on your manuscript
A one-on-one coaching session with a certified book coach (Dinah or Liisa)
Group coaching sessions focused on writing
Feedback and encouragement from group members who identify with your struggles
Planning time to identify your next steps to move your project forward
A supportive community and a chance to talk about your book with like-minded peers
Opportunities to tap into your senses and rekindle your creativity
Time away from the obligations and interruptions of everyday life
Time to connect with the natural wilderness on beautiful Manitoulin Island or visit the shops in Gore Bay
If you have any questions, please contact us at rekindlecreativity@gmail.com.
Register now at www.rekindlecreativity.com.
Happy writing!
Women Writing is a weekly newsletter featuring women who are doing the difficult work of writing. If you enjoyed reading the newsletter, please share it with a fellow writer. Let’s inspire each other!
Liisa Kovala is an Author Accelerator certified book coach. She is the author of Sisu’s Winter War (Latitude 46, 2022) and Surviving Stutthof: My Father’s Memories Behind the Death Gate (Latitude 46, 2017). Her short stories and creative non-fiction have been published in a variety of anthologies and literary magazines. Liisa is a member of The Writers’ Union of Canada, Canadian Authors Association, and past-president of Sudbury Writers’ Guild. Visit liisakovala.com.
“I try not to make writing another oppression.” Wonderful point, Hollay! Thanks so much for sharing your creative perspective.
Thank you for sharing, Liisa! ♥️