Literary duo Arizona and Heather O鈥橬eill share thoughts on Dawson experience
Ahead of their guest appearance at a Dawson Reads event on March 22, Arizona O鈥橬eill (Fine Arts, 2013) and Heather O鈥橬eill (Social Science, 1992) shared some thoughts on their Dawson experiences, the creative process and writing. Thanks to organizer and English teacher Sarah Gilbert for interviewing the mother-daughter duo.
On Dawson聽
鈥淚 loved Dawson,鈥� says author Heather O鈥橬eill who started in Creative Arts and Literature, moved to the New School, and graduated from the Social Science program.聽聽鈥淵ou have access to intelligent people and are taken seriously.鈥�
鈥淒awson was the best two years for me, education-wise,鈥� agrees writer and multi-disciplinary artist Arizona O鈥橬eill, graduate of the Fine Arts Program. 鈥淐EGEP was where I first met people with similar interests. In everything I do today, I draw on skills and techniques I learned at Dawson. I was able to dabble in everything and had freedom to discover my interests.鈥�
颁谤别补迟颈辞苍听
Of the artistic process, Arizona points to Heather as her inspiration, saying, 鈥淚t鈥檚 a way of life. But we approach it differently. I鈥檓 at my desk every day by 9 and I work until 5:30. I need daylight.鈥�
鈥淢y writing gets exponentially better after sundown,鈥� Heather explains.
Advice on writing and reading
鈥淭he worst thing is a writer who doesn鈥檛 read. Their work is full of things I鈥檝e already seen,鈥� Arizona declares.
鈥淚f you want to be a writer, you have to write every day: a journal or something. You need to find peers who are writing. Find a writing group and read your work to your friends. Write and share it,鈥� says Heather. 鈥淵ou need to be slightly masochistic to put up with all the rejection and humiliation,鈥� she adds.
About Heather and Arizona O鈥橬eill
HEATHER O鈥橬EILL聽is the beloved award-winning author of聽When We Lost Our Heads,聽The Lonely Hearts Hotel,聽The Girl Who Was Saturday Night, and聽Lullabies for Little Criminals. Born and raised in Montreal,聽Heather O鈥橬eill has been said to write 鈥渓ike a sort of demented angel with an uncanny knack for metaphor鈥� (Toronto Star).
ARIZONA O鈥橬EILL聽is a multi-disciplinary artist who has聽made original videos for CBC鈥檚 Creator Network and artists such as Laurence Philom猫ne and Patrick Watson. She recently wrote and illustrated the book,聽Est-ce qu鈥檜n artiste peut 锚tre heureux?
Together they form聽O鈥橬eill Reads,聽the exuberant book review page on Instagram.
