Michael Riordan is a retired professor of Writing and Film Studies who has taught in the U.S., Australia, Singapore and China. In 2020, he won First Prize for nonfiction in the U.S.-based “Ageless Authors” international writing competition. His wife Mary keeps him young; his grandchildren keep him childish. His piece “Bees Don’t Get Prostate Cancer” can be found in Epoch Issue 01: Beginnings, available for purchase here.
Where do you find inspiration?
Sometimes “inspiration” is thick and obvious. Instead of crying or screaming, I might pick up a pen and scratch something down. It’s more a slap in the face than a tap on the shoulder. At other times, the spark is magical and makes me believe that there are muses; ideas seem to pop in as gifts or yummy morsels for thought and maybe nothing else. Finally, I have always believed that I think better when I write; the journaling periods we might have had in school has a lot of validity if they are non-threatening and fun. The adult version is a daily word-count minimum.
Why do you write/create Creative Non-Fiction?
I suppose I have reached the age of “reflection.” Maybe I have made all the mistakes I’m going to make in life, so it is interesting to look back on some and consider them in a new light. More intriguing are the people I have encountered; their stories, their lessons.
What are you reading now? (If you aren’t reading anything, let us know what other art you’re consuming)
I have just finished Tana French’s The Searcher, and my bedside writing manual is Stephen King’s On Writing. I compose songs on my guitar and keyboard and share some of them on Facebook’s ‘Songs for Social Isolation.’ I am also busy completing Mike Gets Old, a collection of essays and stories on aging.
Where can we follow you and find your work?
(Instagram, website, amazon profile, goodreads, whatever you want to promote here)
Currently, I have a nonfiction piece, “When Our Hearts Become the Sky” online at pleaseseeme.com. Also, see “Dancing with Stella” in Living Now (online). Email me at mjriordan@mail.com.
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