Follow Karin on Twitter and Instagram at @karinhedet. You can also stay updated on her work through her website, AGoldenHour.com. Her piece, ‘A Dog, the Sea, a Magnolia Tree’, can be found in EPOCH Issue 03: Roots, available to purchase here.
Why do you write CNF, and do you explore other genres in your work?
I’ve always been quiet, observant, sensitive, and curious. Writing has always been a way to process, reflect, and understand the world around me. This search for personal and universal truths about being human is expressed through my love for CNF. To share my perceptions and experiences: I was here; I experienced love and loss, felt wonder and sadness and joy, like you. My heart feels your heart, across time and space. My creative world is always expanding, recently through reading poetry and literary journals, inviting me to explore other genres. This past winter I started a daily haiku practice. I’ve also been experimenting with erasure poetry as photographic art.
Did you have a piece already written when you learned about Epoch’s theme, or did you write a new piece? If so, how did you approach the theme of Roots in the creation of your work?
I had a special piece already written, my very first CNF labour of love. A longform, unpublished story of a trip I took with a friend to South Carolina, many years ago. Journeys away from home often bring creative inspiration and clarity for making decisions. Whenever I need to think, I go for a walk. When I am soul searching, I travel. In these different places, new thoughts and ideas always take root. I shortened my original story, highlighting some of the mental roots planted during that journey, later manifested in my life.
What is the biggest challenge when writing CNF?
My memory! But I always have a notebook with me, so I can jot down sensory details and quotes of true conversation. Photography is a great companion for capturing emotive scenes and moments in chronological order. As for writing about people, I try always to be kind.
What’s your favourite piece of art in your home?
It would be impossible to choose, but I will happily give you a glimpse of collected works. A First Nations cedar carving of a salmon, found in a consignment shop. Whimsical papier-mâché birds, created by a neighbour. A folk-art painting of my husband and our pups walking the beach, commissioned by a UK artist. My grandmother’s painting of chickadees in 1969. A street artist sketch of my two sons when they were children. A jar of sea glass from my pockets. All of these artworks bring me great joy.
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What a lovely soul you are.