The Write Stuff is a series of interview profiles conducted by Litseen, where authors give exclusive readings from their work.
Andrew Touhy is a founding member of the Flat Earth Writing Collective. He teaches creative writing at the Writing Salon and weighs his thoughts on the craft and art of short stories at The Urgent Voice.
When people ask what do you do, you tell them ... ?
Long ago I would've answered dot-com whore. These days I try to teach, write, raise a child and generally treat myself to fits of benign selfishness, all without indulging in too much hope or despair. The "do" question is a pretty prescient one for me, though. Just yesterday (read as every day) I was worrying about the close relationship between identity and anxiety. We hold a lot of "positions" in our daily lives, and while it's cool to be such dynamic or busy or driven or talented or exciting social people ... the truth is I find it exhausting. The whole jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none thing can beat you down, leave you sliding over the surface of yourself and life. Whatever those are. I'm looking to settle in to depth whenever possible. I like Robert Walser's line from Jakob von Guten: "A little, but thoroughly." Or Faye Dunaway's answer to the same question in the movie Barfly: "I drink." Two little words said with conviction.
It was Renoir who said that a work of art "must seize upon you, wrap you up in itself, and carry you away." Interviews with artists should have a similar effect. With "Artist's Statement," our weekly interview series with prominent and upcoming visual artists in San Francisco, SF Weekly speaks to the people behind the art you see in the galleries, in the museums, and in the streets.
