Venita Blackburn, "Not a Donut"

It’s December 13. Venita Blackburn, author of How to Wrestle a Girl, never forgets to like and subscribe.

How would you describe your story?

VENITA BLACKBURN: The primary relationship is between unlikely friends, a suicidal divorcee and a deaconess. It handles some heavy content around faith and parenthood. It’s pretty much Lethal Weapon without the problematic parts.

When did you write it, and how did the writing process compare to your other work?

VB: I wrote it a few years ago while I was working on my latest collection, How to Wrestle a Girl. The story didn’t quite fit the whole vibe of the book but I remember feeling satisfied with it. When I went to work on it recently, thinking there would be a ton of changes, I found that satisfied feeling again.

What kind of research went into this story?

VB: Living is research for me, so I didn’t do much exploring other than what I already had done on particular forms of autism in previous searches. Everything else was what I’ve learned from existing around people up to this point.

What, to you, makes the short story a special form? What can it do that other kinds of writing can’t?

VB: The short story is dear to me for lots of reasons; it allows for more questions than answers, which feels like the most honest way to approach humanity. A good short story has all the delight of great language but also a curiosity about what it means to be alive.

Where should people go to learn more about you and your work?

VB: The best place is to ask me in person. Second-best source is my website venitablackburn.com, which I update twice a decade :).

What's the best gift you've ever been given?

VB: All the time I’ve spent with the people I love lol (and the down payment for my first car, a black Mustang).

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