By Kayla White~

When it comes to the literary world, Laura Nejako is a triple threat: she’s written poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Not only that, but she also has an interest and talent in the visual arts, particularly photography.

Laura is a Pennsylvania local and fifth-year BA/MA student here at Penn State focused on Creative Writing. Her work has been published many times in Kalliope, and I started to wonder who she was and how she came to create the literary pieces she has published. I got the chance to interview Laura to find out about her creative process and to get some advice from her.

Finding Inspiration

Laura explains that the inspiration for her pieces just depends on the genre of art she is working on. For example, she mentions that when it comes to poetry, “it tends to be about these small moments that happen.” Then, she tries to figure out how she can dig deeper into those moments with words. 

Her fiction writing stems more from viewing the outside world and turning everyday people in characters. To illustrate, this summer she happened to ride the CATA bus often and would sit with a book and journal and write down whatever caught her eye or any interesting conversations she overheard. She would then use those interactions that stood out to her for her stories.

For photography, it is usually about the lighting, and if it’s good she’ll take as many photos as possible.

When it comes to writing non-fiction, she feels as though it is the trickiest to write because it’s dependent on being truthful and engaging. She explains that it’s “taking from what you already know and drawing inspiration from experiences that you remember vividly.”

“Birds of Provincetown,” originally published in Kalliope 2016

As for the creative process itself, “a lot of it is notes,” she says. Laura keeps a journal with her wherever she goes and uses the notes on her phone. She takes notes on everything and anything that happens. Next, she will sit in a quiet space and just focus on what she wants to write about based on what “sticks out” to her from the notes she’s taken.

Favorite Undergrad Course

She’s had a lot of favorite courses but her favorite one was a course called “What is Literature?” or English 200. It was her favorite because she felt as though her professor truly enjoyed what she taught and that made the difference.

Laura explains, “She had a way of nonchalantly connecting so many ideas in a way that was seemingly free of the classroom structure and fostering how we think about things and how that fits into a larger literary context.”

She felt as a writer it was so informative because it’s more than just writing; there are different lenses and ways to study that help you to apply it to your own writing.

Behind a Piece Called “The Nobody of the Planet”

Originally published in Kalliope 2017 as well as the 2017 edition of Klio, “The Nobody of the Planet” is a short story Laura wrote during her junior year in Professor Bill Cobb’s class. He gave out a prompt that required each student’s story include a belief and an actual event.

Her two main inspirations for that story were a myth in Hinduism and a fire that happened in a building next to her apartment. She found a way to combine these and created an amazing story out of them while conveying a sense of what it means to be loved.

“Nauset Lighthouse,” originally published in Kalliope 2016

Advice for Young Writers

“I would say my best advice would be to not be so hard on yourself,” she says. She explains that it’s okay to write something horrible, but the consistent act of writing is what makes your work better.

She notes the popular aesthetic of a “writer’s lifestyle” where you read and write seamlessly is something of a myth–it’s never all that simple. “Writing is really just about writing over and over again,” she says.

She stresses the importance of  keeping up the practice of reading and writing, even when frustrated. Her biggest advice is to find an author you really enjoy and try to emulate their style in your own personal way and as a way to practice.

As you can see, Laura Nejako is extremely talented and has given some great advice for anyone interested in writing. It was very nice speaking with her about her creative process, and she’s definitely an inspiration for young writers.

Check out our collection below of Laura’s work published over the past few years in both Kalliope and Klio:

http://klio.psu.edu/2017/12/08/the-nature-of-love-laura-nejako/

http://klio.psu.edu/2017/12/08/the-gringo-lingo-my-south-american-adventure-laura-nejako/

http://klio.psu.edu/2018/11/08/my-neighborhood-laura-nejako/

http://klio.psu.edu/2018/11/08/i-let-laura-nejako/

http://klio.psu.edu/2017/12/08/the-nobody-of-the-planet-laura-nejako/