Alice teaches psychology with an evolutionary lens at the State
University of New York at New Paltz, and is the editor/publisher
of Entelechy: Mind & Culture, an evolutionarily-informed interdisciplinary
online journal. She is also the author of Trine
Erotic, a novel
that explores evolutionary psychology and other behavioral science themes.
Alice is currently working on a book (based on her essay
with the same title, published at Metanexus) called An Evolutionary
Mind (to be published as part of Imprint Academic's series: "Societas:
Essays in Political and Cultural Criticism"), and plans to begin
writing another novel soon.
Shalla: Hello Alice, thanks for being here.
Alice: Hi Shalla, thanks for wanting and having me here.
Shalla: First of all, tell us about Trine Erotic, it has
a perfect five stars at Amazon.
Alice: Trine Erotic is my novel about love. It may be the
first novel ever to explore evolutionary psychology (the
new "science
of the mind"). Apart from EP, it also explores why we write: to
seduce (as mating strategy), to process, to heal ourselves and ultimately
readers, to find meaning. It's concerned with memes — and art
and culture's ability to influence our lives. And it attempts to address
the questions of love that preoccupy us, like passionate love versus
companionate love, selfish love and selfless love; looking at love through
a triune system: "evolution, experience, and culture." It’s
also a book about reconciliation of familiar polarities and dichotomies — of
spirituality and science; feminine and masculine principles/archetypes,
etc.
Shalla: How long did it take you to write Trine Erotic?
What inspired you to write it?
Alice: Hmm… I started it in 1999. It started out as a very
short story called “Love Stories,” which was a story
within a story, just like the book. I stopped for a while and
then from about 2000 to 2001, couldn’t stop.
Shalla: For those of us writing literary novels, do you
have any tips on keeping it smart, well-informed and
witty without
sounding too pedantic and esoteric?
Alice: I don’t have a problem with pedantic and esoteric!
But seriously, it’s all about the writer and his or her
audience. There may be some parts in TE that some people, for
one reason or another, don’t get, and they will perhaps
just pass over it. But for the people who get it, it will feel
good. I’ve talked to people who have loved the book despite
not getting everything and they said they enjoyed having to look
something up—they felt like they learned something…
Let me give you an example of something that not
everybody will get due to their age or TV habits
or reading habits.
I have a
line that goes something like:
He said, “You know, three is a magic number.” And she said, “Yes,
it i- i - is!”
It’s very silly, but that’s a reference to…can you guess? “School
House Rock”! The old TV show from the 70s, when I was growing up. There
was a little segment about “three, the magic number.” Remember? She’s
singing it back to him…And the thing is, maybe four people in the world
got it, but that’s okay. If others didn’t, it’s okay, too.
But I also have to quote one of my protagonists on this issue.
Helen says to Ed:
“
How much more underscoring can I do? I fight very hard with myself as a writer
not to be too didactic. To leave gaps. Not to answer everything. Not to tie every
piece up. Because what I’ve learned about art and also love is that you
can’t force it. If you really want to teach something to somebody you can’t
put it in their face. You have to be artful.” [p.215]
Shalla: Besides being a writer, you are also the editor and founder
of a literary journal. Please, tell us about Entelechy: Mind and Culture.
Alice: I liked Nina Shengold’s (author of the novel Clear Cut
and the children’s book Harriet the Spy!) description of it:
“
A peerlessly heady online journal of "creative and beautiful work
that is concerned with ideas," "Darwin-touched," and
lives at the visionary interface between art and science. Mind-bending
reading.” [www.chronogram.com/issue/2006/07/arts/books/shorttakes.php]
Shalla: What kind of submissions would you like to see more of? Ie.
Any specific subjects or angles? Types of characters?
Alice: I like very smart, passionate work. If we’re talking about
the stories and poetry section (we also publish essays, visual art,
and book reviews), I’d say work that combines a great knowledge
of human nature, with an extraordinary poetic sensibility—almost
mad.
Shalla: What makes a poem perfect for Entelechy?
Alice: You’d have to ask my new poetry Editor Tim Horvath
www.entelechyjournal.com/editors'musings.htm. But I confer with
him on all the poems. We really try to strike a balance
between many elements. It's kind of a gestalty thing for me.
I like having a little of everything in every issue— something
Darwinian, something neuro-bio, something sexy and raw and euphonious,
something
that is ‘universally’ (at least in English) appealing;
you know, the kind of poem where people say upon reading it: “Now,
I like that poem! Why can't all poetry be like that? I understand
that!’ Etc.
Shalla: I’ve been reading poems in
Entelechy and I would like to ask you the reasons for the different
formatting.
In “Essentially” for example, the first 5 lines are tabbed
once, the next 7 lines are tabbed twice and the last lines are
tabbed three times. Why? Is this just for visual effect? What should
writers
consider when formatting their poems?
Alice: Well, I think it says somewhere on the site that I’m ‘Calla
Jones’ and the author of ‘Essentially”—so I’ll
not pretend to conjecture! I formatted that poem that way for a visual
effect…The poem talks about bleeding (as in menstruating), peeing,
and sweating. The overall visual impression I had hoped to evoke
was of those bodily processes, of flowing…
Shalla: What would you say is different from today’s poetry to,
say, Wordsworth’s or Blake’s? And would you publish something
like Wordsworth’s or Blake’s?
Alice: You should read my friend Christopher Porpora’s poetry.
(See: www.anneshousepress.com )
Here’s what I’ve said about
it.
“Archetypal and universal, romantic
and sensual, and, yes, post-postmodernly old-fashioned, Christopher
Porpora's poems in Becoming are sonorous
and evocative gifts to the world. Cognitive psychologists and
biopoeticists are just now starting to figure out why it is that something
like:
And I have always loved
the allure of books
But your eyes have outdone
all of literature
with their longing looks
makes
us feel good; lights up reward centers in our brain—perhaps
even has a healing effect.
And it doesn’t take a scientist to know that when we
read about love and beauty, jasmine and sandalwood, cedar,
sage, and wine, it can evoke a primal place in us. Though scientists
do speculate on this, too. As Steven Pinker, the Harvard evolutionary
psychologist, notes in The Blank Slate:
" Organisms get their pleasure from things that promoted the
fitness of their ancestors, such as the taste of food, the
experience of sex, the presence of children, and the attainment
of know-how."
Perhaps Porpora's poems give us pleasure because they 'reenact'
these fitness-enhancing events and sensations. And yet, despite
this universal, ancient-quality that his poems breathe and
sing, his poems are also fresh and modern.
In this postmodern period of sometimes abstruse poetry, of
poetry that often disdains beauty, it is thrilling to come
across poetry which is clear, unafraid to be beautiful, and
music to one's ears.”
He submitted one short poem to Entelechy
and it was not picked by my editors, but I hope to publish his work
soon…Yes, I’d publish
a Wordsworth or Blake—bring ’em on!
Shalla: Entelechy has some very impressive contributors.
Do we need a PhD, a Guggenheim Fellowship or the like to write
for Entelechy?
Alice: Well, of course not! There are plenty of smart and creative
people without advanced degrees and the like. Bring them on, too!
Shalla: I enjoy reading short stories in Entelechy, I feel
entertained and somewhat smarter afterwards as if I eavesdropped
on a couple
of scientists flirting (ie. “Arctic Refuge”). Can you tell
us what makes a short story right for Entelechy?
Alice: I’m looking for stories that are significantly informed
by advances in the biological understanding of the human mind and behavior;
i.e., stories that use biological, neurological, psychological and/or
evolutionary language and lenses. Truth is, there is not a lot of this
kind of writing out there. That’s why I came up with the Entelechy
Biofiction Prize —to find more.
Shalla: In “Arctic Refuge” some words are used repeatedly,
eg. Brilliant —“It is quite something to be brilliant about
the brain and also to have that brilliance reflected in the arrangement
of the parts where we take information in for it, where we take
inspiration; where we express and nourish it.”
In some school of thought—like when writing romance novels—writers
are told never to use the same words for at least several pages
but in literary short stories this does not seem to apply.
So, how do we know if we’re doing it right? How do we show that,
yes, we know what we’re doing and no, we’re not just being
too lazy to look up synonyms?
Any tell-tale signs that mark something “smart” as opposed
to something “just plain sloppy”?
Alice: I think you can’t worry about that. Certainly a true artist
can’t worry about that.
When
it comes to any rules for art, if you feel confident that you understand
the rule’s purpose, and
you know how to employ it, then you should be able to break it. If you
know why it’s not such a great idea to use the same words for
at least several paragraphs or pages (an evolutionary explanation would
be that we are neophilic—see Geoffrey Miller’s The Mating
Mind ), and if you can feel why, then you should feel free to do so
when it seems right and fitting. In the above example, the word ‘brilliant’ is
not repeated, only the combining form is. It does not appear that the
author is lacking for another word to denote intelligence, genius, etc;
but rather, the author appears to be playing with our many senses of
the word ‘brilliant’. The scientist is brilliant and his
brilliance is reflected in his physiognomy. Brilliance as light…etc.
Shalla: Do you have any tips for writers? Any tips
on editing? What to look for? What to improve?
Alice: Honestly? To not read any tips. I know
a lot of writers say read, read, read. I guess,
if forced, I’d say I agree with
the other big writer tip: write, write, write. This summer my 10-year-old
daughter had to read a book (A Gathering of Days) and summarize each
chapter. I asked her about the process when she was done. She explained
that in the beginning, she was basically not summarizing, but retelling
the chapter, etc. But by the end, she had figured out how to summarize.
She didn’t read a tip on this, I didn’t tell her how to
do it; she learned by her own experience with the process.
Shalla: Lastly, any writing groups and/or writing
communities you recommend? (eg. Authors Guild?
PEN?)
Alice: Poets and Writers (my ex-husband used
to be an editor at their magazine) is a
wonderful resource!
See: www.pw.org.
Additionally, I’d recommend reading stuff about Darwinian Literary
Studies, just because so many people don’t know about it, and
it’s yet another piece in the puzzle.
Shalla: Thanks Alice! For more on Alice Andrews and Entelechy, please
go to www.entelechyjournal.com.
Alice: Thank you, Shalla, this was a lot of fun!
Shalla DeGuzman's
short stories have appeared in Poetic Diversity, the Mad Hatters Review,
etc.; her articles in The Scriptorium and L.A.
Freepress; her skits at the Stella Adler Theatre.
Shalla, a former writer and producer of a health and fitness cable
show, is currently writing a novel. She is President of The
ShallaDeGuzman Writers
Group where she interviews literary agents, publishers, editors,
etc.
News!
Shalla DeGuzman gets nominated for the prestigious Pushcart Prize!
Plus! SHALLA
Magazine,
which features short stories, poetry and more,
is here!
SO,
YOU'RE... HUH? HOW-TO's on Agents, Editors, Book
Contracts, etc. *read
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WRITE & PUBLISH
YOUR NOVEL From writing Query letters to
Formatting Manuscripts to writing Book Proposals, here are tips
and tricks to get your book sold! *read
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