Diane Glancy teaches in the low-residency MFA program at Carlow University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her latest books are The Collector of Bodies, Concern for Syria and the Middle East, It Was Over There by That Place, and The Book of Bearings. Her other books and awards are on her website: www.dianeglancy.com. An excerpt from her essay “#NoDAPL Protest, North Dakota” can be found here. It appears in the Nov/Dec 2019 issue of the Kenyon Review.
What was your original impetus for writing “#NoDAPL Protest, North Dakota”?
I was in Montana on my way to New Mexico. I knew of the #NoDAPL protest. I believe in the protection of water and natural resources. I decided to drive to the protest site.
Are there other writers or activists inspired by the protest you’d especially recommend to our readers?
Dakota Wind.
Can you tell us more about “Remembering the River,” the piece you cite at the end of your essay?
After I was at the protest sight, I wanted to know more about pipeline history. I got online and found the information about the Dakota Access Pipeline. I found the history of Standing Rock and the Dakota people when I found Dakota Wind online. He gave permission to mention the 1837 and 1862 events.
What does literary activism mean to you?
It is an indirect way to protest. I live at quite a distance from that area. I am not there often. But there is something about writing about an event that records it. That brings it closer. That gives it audience. I’m grateful to the Kenyon Review and the editors for publishing the piece.
How has your writing changed since you started out?
Maybe my writing is more experimental than it was in the beginning. I see more reason for fragmentation. It lets otherness into a more solid style.
Which non-writing-related aspect of your life most influences your writing?
I travel between family members helping with grandchildren. I think driving and writing have fed one another.
What is either the best or the worst piece of writing advice you’ve received or given?
The best advice is don’t give up. It often takes many drafts to finish a piece—no matter how many years I have written. There also is more rejection than acceptance. It takes a determination and fortitude if you want to continue with writing over the years.
What project(s) are you working on now, or next?
I have a new book forthcoming from Turtle Point Press in the spring of 2020—Island of the Innocent, a Consideration of the Book of Job, which also contains Native history. I’m still giving readings from my 2019 books, The Book of Bearings, Wipf & Stock, and It Was Over There by That Place, Atlas Review Chapbook Series. I’m always at work on a poem, or an essay. I teach in the low-residency MFA program at Carlow University in Pittsburgh.