Don Perry Member Member since 2026

Where do you prefer to do your creative work?

Anywhere. Sometimes on my couch listening to music, or watching Reds baseball. I should probably find a better place for concentrating, but have learned to tune out things around me.

Do you read literary journals and magazines regularly? If so, which are your favorites?

I attempt to read as many as I can get my hands on, especially when I travel and find new-to-me journals. Of course, Ploughshares, Paris Review, The Ohio Review, Jelly Bucket (EKU), and other top journals find their way onto my bookshelves.

Who are your literary (or artistic) heroes?

Kurt Vonnegut, John Irving, Raymond Carver, Edgar Allen Poe...... Too many to list!

If you could only take one book on a ten-year voyage, what book would you choose?

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. Hands down, my all-time favorite.

How much of a typical day (or week) are you able to dedicate to your creative work?

Having "semi-retired" from journalism and teaching 3-4 days (maybe a few hours each). Enough to get tired of my own writing! I love writing, but find myself wanting to read instead of working.

What makes you procrastinate when you could be doing your creative work? What are your strategies for finding focus?

Watching my beloved Cincinnati Reds. I usually write later in the evening or at night after the baseball game ends. If the offseason, I watch too much NFL and commit to family time. Beyond that, I am working toward completion of my MFA and dreaming of success.

How do you celebrate your successes, such as acceptances? How do you handle rejections and other setbacks?

Just got my first acceptance on my very first submission and was on cloud nine before quickly realizing I'm a hack and only as good as my next story. A couple days of struggling has its way of putting me back in my place!

How much time do you spend reading for pleasure or edification?

Reading, as much as possible. Editing only works when I'm in the mood and want to finish a piece. I've been editing and revising (for the 190th time) a memoir no one is likely to read for a bit, but far less than I need to. The work is important to me, and could be a far better book than my capabilities. I'll be interested to see where it lands.

Do you have a personal creative style? How would you describe it?

It depends on what I'm trying to write. I like to think much of my work is dialogue-driven, sparse, and has been compared to Raymond Carver by some classmates reading my short stories. Larger works and nonfiction read more conversational, I would say.

Where do you find inspiration?

Reading. Honestly, it may sound like a weak, overused answer, but it's true for me. I also mix in some personal experiences along the way if I think they're interesting enough.

What single creative achievement are you most proud of?

Starting a weekly newspaper from scratch in my hometown, and probably more so the creation and ownership of a successful weekly sports magazine covering regional high school and college sports.

What fictional character would you most like to be?

Wow, that's tough. Is it too weird to say Kilgore Trout? Probably; more well-known is Nick Carraway, such a classic.

If you could choose to be born in any era, which one would you choose and why?

I'm fine with the 70s. Growing up in the 80s was great. I kind of long for the more simple and less technologically-driven days.

What advice would you give to a young, budding writer (or artist) with less experience than yourself?

Go for it. If you want to write, do so. Life is far too short. One of my favorite quotes is from the great and crazy Hunter S. Thompson. "Buy the ticket, take the Ride."

For your first draft (or sketch), do you prefer analog or digital tools, or a mix?

I just start typing and see what happens.

Do you incorporate generative AI/LLMs into your creative process? If so, how?

No. I'm less organized than I should be, especially with planning or outlining work.

What is your favorite word and why?

I love the word asinine.

It can mean a truly foolish response or item, or, in my weird humor, a very large person, as in:

"He has an ass of nine."

Yep, I warned you of the idiocy.

What would you like your epitaph to say?

"He tried."

or maybe in honor of Vonnegut:

"So it goes."

Are you an unreliable narrator?

No, I don't think so. More than twenty years as a journalist forced me to be reliable and I struggled with that fact when I began trying to write fiction.