We recently sat down with our wonderful faculty member Lisa Nikolidakis to discuss books, writing, and life. Where are you from and how do you use your surroundings to write? I’m currently in Houston, TX—I’ve been here a little over a year—but in 2021, I had twelve addresses, I think. My life has been a bit upside-down for a bit due to chronic illness, so I’m not precious about process. I can write anywhere, on any device. The constant in all of that flux is nature. No matter where I land, the first thing I do is pull up a map and look for the swaths of green and blue. When I was in north Florida, that meant a lot of time spent at St. Mark’s National Wildlife Refu. In Indiana, Wesselman Woods. And in Houston, I’ve been stalking a flock of roseate spoonbills at Anahuac Wildlife Refuge. Nature grounds and inspires me. It is my church. Where do you draw inspiration from when writing and how is writing implemented in your life? I’m blessed with a great problem for a writer: I am curious ab...
A two-year, low-residency program in creative writing