In the Field: Conversations With Our Contributors—Ciara Alfaro
Congrats on your nonfiction piece “When We Were Boys,” which is featured in The Best American Essays 2023! We were excited to debut it in Water~Stone, and we are thrilled it is getting the recognition it deserves. Can you talk about where this piece started when you...
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A Conversation with Jose Hernandez Diaz—WSR Contributing Poetry Editor
Water~Stone Review is a collaborative project of students, faculty, and staff at Hamline University Creative Writing Programs. In addition to working with our faculty, and to fulfill a larger initiative of providing a place for new/emerging and underrepresented voices...
In The Field—Conversations With Our Contributors: J. D. Debris
Your poem, “Song of Solomon” in Volume 26, brings to life vivid images. What sparked the creation of this piece? Appreciate that comment. The poem takes its title from Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, as well as her novel’s biblical namesake, both of which did pretty...
In The Field: Conversations With Our Contributors—Robert Grunst
There’s a beautiful peace in your poem “Blue Aster Seeds” that draws the reader into this moment of watching seeds whirl. I love how it takes a moment—a breath of air and seeds—and creates an entire world. Where did this poem start? What was the process in creating...
In The Field: Conversations With Our Contributors—DeMisty Bellinger
Your poem, “Ode to That Turquoise Bra,” has a whimsical feel, yet also carries the gravity of honoring and thanking this piece of clothing. What inspired this poem? Firstly, thank you for inviting me to do this interview! It was a real bra that I had. It was probably...
In The Field: Conversations With Our Contributors—A. K. Herman
Your story, "Love," which appears in Volume 26 of Water~Stone, is a chapter of a longer work. What inspired this piece? Where does this chapter fall in the story? What made you choose this section to share with us? “Love” is inspired by the generations of powerful...
In The Field: Conversations With Our Contributors—Dan Albergotti
Your poem, “On the Third Stanza of a Poem by F. S. Key,” blends today’s history of the last election with the beginning of our country. What caused you to weave these two events together? What brought Key’s song to the forefront of your mind? I can’t recall exactly...
In The Field: Conversations With Our Contributors—Marie-Elizabeth Mali
Your poem, “Mirror,” studies the fascination with underwater life—particularly brain coral—during a first dive. What prompted you to set this poem down on paper? Since that initial dive in Bonaire, in December, 2000, I’ve wanted to describe the wonder I felt at...
In The Field: Conversations With Our Contributors—Joseph O. Legaspi
Your poem, “Weeding/Wedding,” is a beautiful twining of etymology and gardening. What inspired this poem? The poem was inspired by my actually gardening—weeding, to be more precise. I was at Space on Ryder Farm in Brewster, New York, and as part of the residency,...