LAUREN KIRSHNER

Lauren Kirshner for DESK SPACE

DESK SPACE Who?

LAUREN KIRSHNER Lauren Kirshner, novelist, poet, author of Where We Have to Go, forthcoming from McClelland & Stewart in April 2009.

DS When did you start writing, publish your first book (or when are you publishing your next)?

LK I started writing when I was about 11. I wrote a poem about a man who falls in love his neighbour who looks just like Marlene Dietrich. When I transitioned into writing about gerbils and families my parents seemed relieved.



DS Where do you write (at your desk/outside/in bed)?

LK I write at my desk, which is in my bedroom, or I sit in my pink armchair. I live above a restaurant on a busy street so there's always ambient noise. I sometimes enjoy it, especially the sound of the streetcar when it's raining. I have three cats and there's usually one bouncing off a chair or a wall so I'm never at a loss for stimulation. I wish my desk was more interesting, something along the lines of David McGimpsey's. Right now it's an Ikea slab I got for free from someone who suddenly left the country.

DS Why do you work where you do (at your desk because it is a quiet space/outside b/c it helps you think, in the park b/c you can smoke, etc)?

LK I work at my desk because I like the routine and quiet. If I go to a cafe, I usually end up watching people and feeling urgently social.

DS What are you working on now?

LK I'm editing my novel and fiddling here and there with an untitled collection of poems about zoos. In the winter, I'll begin working on the creative writing curriculum for The I Live Here Foundation's education program, which builds artistic opportunities for vulnerable youth around the world.