We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tiny Spoon Lit Mag a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Tiny Spoon, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

We are extremely happy being creatives, while navigating the daily grind in our desk jobs, we turn inward to the magazine as a source of creative solace and appreciation. At times it becomes a lot of effort, but we find joy in writing, creativity, nurturing other’s creativity, and holding space in community. This allows us to feel supported in our creativity, while supporting others and reminding ourselves of our passions.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

From the beginning, Chris and Stephanie wanted to foster an inclusive, expansive space for literature and art to live, which doesn’t leave anyone out. Finding spaces for experimental literature can be few and far between. It is within our experimentation and risk-taking that our notions of expression become more robust and lucid, which is where the energy of art truly breathes. Tiny Spoon was founded while we were pursuing their MFAs in Creative Writing and Poetics from the Jack Kerouac School of Naropa University. We are eternally grateful for the unique space of the program for embracing experimental, cross-genre work, which fueled our desire to create a new print publication in a similar lineage. Our professors and mentors J’Lyn Chapman, Michelle Naka Pierce, Andrew Schelling, and Sarah Richards Graba were particularly supportive influences for their creative and editing pursuits.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

The making of the work is as sacred as the work itself. Running a literary organization always poses its challenges but we’ve been incredibly lucky and grateful for those who have supported and contributed to us along the way. With tools like social media, interviews, and community organizing we’ve been able to gain traction for submissions and subscriptions. With our Spooning Sessions with other literary and arts organizations we created our own network of support. The real strength within the literary community comes from connecting these nodes of interaction and passion to create an interconnected web to celebrate what we all love.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Learning to approach life with a new depth and joy through the artistic process.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tinyspoon.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinyspoonlitmag/

Image Credits
Graphics made by Christina Chady