We were lucky to catch up with Lor Clincy recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lor, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

My most meaningful project to date is my most recent poetry manuscript, When We Were Indigo. I wrote most of the poems while in my graduate program, studying myriads of poetic form and finding new, interesting ways to tell stories. When We Were Indigo serves as a rich archive of homage to African American Literature. While I write close to myself, the layers of context exist far beyond me. For example, one of the first poems of the collection is “resolve”. This poem served as my reference point in writing. I wanted, at the very least, for each poem to connect and refer to traumas of Blackness due to colonization: enslavement, lynching, displacement of family and culture, poverty, gentrification, etc. This thematic approach allowed me to write from a place of necessity, and I believe that this manuscript is so meaningful because of that.

Lor, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am Lor Clincy, an interdisciplinary artist from Chicago Illinois. I am a poet, music enthusiast, and entrepreneur. I am also an educator and curator. I dabble in the visual arts every now and then. My mission as a creator is to reflect notions of self and the freedom of self discovery. My work journeys grief, joy, intersectionality of gender and race, and all of the intrusive thoughts that could surface while processing these things. I am a poet by trade, but I also write creative nonfiction and fiction. When I am not writing creatively, I am working on a TV script or mixing music.

As an entrepreneur, I founded Unwoven Literary & Arts Magazine alongside two of my colleagues from graduate school, Michelle Alexander and Madeline McConico. In addition to being a founder, I am our nonfiction editor, and I assist with logistics, planning, and production. With our editorial team, we have developed Unwoven from scratch. We are trailblazers! Our publication not only publishes poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, but we also collaborate with local artists in our interdisciplinary series. We launch on November 7th, 2024; keep a lookout on our socials (@unwoven_magazine on Instagram) for details about our launch event! I am so proud of Unwoven, and I am excited about the work we are doing!

Outside of the arts, I curate events with my church annually and I have been a program coordinator for several educational institutions in Chicago after taking a hiatus from teaching. Professionally, I have skills ranging from the classroom to the page, and I branch those parts of my identity creatively. As a writer, I have the unique charge of bringing people together through storytelling. Art is all encompassing, so whatever I cannot give through art, I serve through community oriented events and programming spreading positive energy and connection.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Artists and Creatives are the life force that connect people despite all of our differences. To best support us, actively invest in our projects, collaborate with us, PAY US, and continue bridging the gap between creatives and non-creatives. The stigma that surrounds creative careers as if they are not as serious and essential as other fields becomes increasingly harmful the more we participate in the notion that art is a distraction. Our favorite moments and memories are products of artistic thought and intention.

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.

I think non-creatives may wonder why I or any other creative person chooses a career path that has a special relationship with delayed gratification. My journey is one of many layers. My mother was an educator and entrepreneur. For most of my adolescence, I tutored small children after attending school all day to help out. I saw my mother run a successful business out of our home for 20 years until she retired.

My father was an utility engineer and Pastor. Monday through Fridays he worked full time. Wednesday and Saturday evenings were for choir practice and church maintenance. He was my Sunday School instructor and pastor on Sundays. This was an interesting dynamic growing up, and it taught me at an early age that my personhood was very complex. Complexity aside, I could achieve a life that granted me flexibility and functionality. I could be creative and professional at the same time. I could be fully intact with my morale and skill sets. I did not have to choose one.

This career path means that your investment will rarely be equal to what you receive in return, very similar to business. The time, money, commitment, and execution of projects could be way more than what you are financially compensated. This varies case-by-case of course, but this is the reality for most creatives. We create because we love our craft(s) and want to explore indefinitely. We continue the hard work of publishing, exhibition, and teaching because that is what allows us optimal understanding of our individual and collective human experiences. It continually helps us connect to others.It provides release. It is an intense push and pull, but it is a balancing act.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lorclin19.wixsite.com/lorclincy/bio
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorisanartist/
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user760290488
• Other: Unwoven Literary & Art Magazine: https://www.unwovenlitmag.com

Image Credits

Zoey Marciniak