Interview with Reinhilde Cammaert Memorial Scholarship Winner George Zancola
George Zancola is one of two InkWell participants who've won the inaugural Reinhilde Cammaert Memorial Scholarship. As a result of a generous donation made by Bieke and Thanasis Stengos, this summer George will have the opportunity to work one-on-one with his mentor, Kathy Friedman, on a collection of short stories.
Still I Rise blog editor Maya Ameyaw caught up with George to ask him about his project and how he's been staying healthy during the pandemic.
Maya: Can you summarize the project you will be working on?
George: I have finished a volume of linked short stories entitled Hey, Beethoven! It was a novel called A Lakeshore Diary, about residents of a fictional mental institution, that I converted to short stories. The project is a look at a reality that should not be forgotten. It tells of the men and women who endured it. It is an attempt to breathe life into a still picture to commonly viewed through narrow stereotyped vision. It's about finding the hearts and minds of those who lived the experience described.
Maya: What are you hoping to learn through your mentorship?
George: How to be a better writer, more specifically how to be honest, open, and truthful as a writer of fiction.
Maya: What are your goals for the program?
George: Same as above, I'd also say I'm looking for techniques that would help to foster connections between people for the purpose of bringing sanity into an insane world.
Maya: What are some self-care activities you have been engaging in?
George: I engage in 12 step programs, do a little bit of peer support work, varying therapies, like mindfulness, and CBT. I do my best to exercise, get plenty of sleep, and eat well.
Maya: What are you currently reading?
George: The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck. I recently read an article on Sylvia Plath, and Alyosha the Pot by Tolstoy. I am reading The Bishop by Chekov, as well as biographies on Queen Victoria, Che Guevara, and a history of British colonization of North America. I am also trying to read as much materials about and by Indigenous writers as I can
Maya: Is there anything else you'd like to share?
George: Thank you for this opportunity!
George Zancola is a writer of short stories and poems and is forever trying to write a novel. He has published his work in Open Minds Quarterly (where he won third prize in the 2018 Brainstorm Poetry Contest), the anthology Not Without Us, The Friendly Voice, The Hearing Voices Cafe Newspaper, and two InkWell anthologies. In 2018, he was nominated by InkWell Books for the Journey Prize for his short story “The Experiment.”