We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tisha Reichle-aguilera a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Tisha, appreciate you joining us today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

I’m the oldest of four siblings and one of the oldest of dozens of cousins. I was put in charge a lot. (So it’s not my fault that I’m “bossy” now, is it?) My parents instilled a sense of responsibility in me at a young age: “Watch your sister,” “Help your cousin,” “Get your brother!” And they also modeled an impeccable work ethic that I genuinely believe is responsible for all my achievements: academic, social, and creative. I know that some people today frown on the productivity that I strive for on the daily. I’ve tried to be more laid back, hustle less and chill more. It’s just not my style. I admire the people I love who can exist that way. But when I am not doing, I fall into a place where I don’t like myself. Thanks to my parents who had us up shoveling manure before school and involved in all kinds of activities as kids — church, 4-H, junior rodeo — and who supported us in drama club, student government, and other high school tonterias, I move in this world with confidence (most of the time), respect for others, and a desire to make the world a better place.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’ve been a storyteller all my life. (Mom used to call them lies…) I grew up listening to family members tell stories and eventually, I wrote them down. At a recent gathering, my Nina shushed someone, said be careful or that’ll end up in a story. One cousin said, it better! I tell stories to capture those moments in my various communities that mean something to me. The occasions we show love or do something funny. And I look for opportunities to share my rural working-class homelands to the larger world. My first novel, BREAKING PATTERN (Inlandia Books) and my prose chapbook STORIES ALL OUR OWN (Bottlecap Press) are examples of that. But I’ve also lived in Los Angeles all of my adult life, so there are stories and a play that capture the travesuras that happens here. I wouldn’t have taken myself seriously as a writer, now author, if it weren’t for the communities I collaborate with in LA, especially Women Who Submit.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Until recently, I had terrible money management skills. With a full time teaching job, I spent everything and frequently had to teach summer school just to pay my bills. It wasn’t until I quit teaching and started a PhD program in 2017 (where my monthly income was 1/3 of what it had been), that I learned to live on a budget. As a result, I actually had a savings so that I could spend more time focused on my writing in the summer instead of teaching all the time. And I love teaching. Sharing what I’ve learned about writing and creativity nurtures my own creative practice. But it can also consume me. I can neglect the fictional worlds I create for the reality of humans I see regularly. So if anyone knows about resources that will guide young creatives to be money smart, please share them in response to this.

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

That I can talk to myself out loud, even in public, and call it work. Seriously though, I’ve caught myself having a conversation with myself about the salmon selection at Trader Joe’s or the unripe avocados at Ralph’s. I will also answer people who weren’t even talking to me (after they can’t hear me, of course) as if I was part of their conversation. Occasionally, my eavesdropping becomes dialogue in a story or inspires an idea for one. It is a constant process of learning and growing. In addition to getting a PhD, I regularly attend workshops and conferences so I can continuously improve my craft. Being a writer is something that I can do forever. My first novel wasn’t published until I was 50! And I anticipate in the decades ahead, there will be a few more.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tishareichle.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/writertish/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tisha.reichle
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/msreichle