Interview with Blogger Kevin SPENST

By The Pakistani Spectator • May 19th, 2008 • Category: Interviews • No Responses

Kevin Spenst is an up-and-coming Canadian writer of fiction whose prose has appeared in the pages of Geist, Broken Pencil and the Martian Press Review. He has one collection of short-short stories in print called Fast Fictions which was launched with a fifty-venue, one-day only reading tour of Vancouver, Canada. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yOV4qKNEpo To date he’s written 1,111 short-short stories, the latest of which can be found at http://fastfictions.wordpress.com.

Would you please tell us something about you and your site?

I’m somewhat obsessive with my interests and as I’m interested in everything my site reflects that obsession, an obsession with the world. Everyday I pretend to be somebody different and that personality introduces a short-short story which he/she claims to have written. It’s kind of an on-line Canterbury Tales updated and twisted by Borges. It’s a stab at something in that direction.

Do you feel that you continue to grow in your writing the longer you write? Why is that important to you?

The longer I write the more aware I become of my own writing habits which I can then play with and fine tune. This is important because I want to communicate my experience of the world in as memorable a way as possible.

I’m wondering what some of your memorable experiences are with blogging?

This is the third interview that I’ve done in the past month and it’s exciting to think that I’m building relationships around the globe and setting up the potential for meaningful travel. I’ve done the back-packing thing and the next time I go somewhere outside of Canada I’d like to be traveling as a writer. I’m hoping that blogging will help me achieve that goal of going to another country as something other than a stranger.

What do you do in order to keep up your communication with other bloggers?

I post sites that catch my eye at the on-line arts magazine http://scene360.com.

What do you think is the most exciting or most innovative use of technology in politics right now?

I don’t know about “the most exciting” but here’s a playfully unique insight into the American voting experience: http://www.metaphysicalpoll.com/

Do you think that these new technologies are effective in making people more responsive?

As there’s more grass-roots coverage of everything, hopefully politicians will be held more accountable.

What do you think sets Your site apart from others?

Diversity of voice while holding onto certain themes.

If you could choose one characteristic you have that brought you success in life, what would it be?

My skepticism at conventional notions of success.

If you could pick a travel destination, anywhere in the world, with no worries about how it’s

paid for - what would your top 3 choices be?

Ireland, Ireland and Ireland. I’m a huge fan of James Joyce and would love to spend more time on the streets in the pubs that influenced his writing.

What is your favorite book and why?

James Joyce’s Ulysses is funny, quirky, insightful, playful, constantly inventive and challenging. It’s a very thorough portrait of a city.

How bloggers can benefit from blogs financially?

If you can develop an expertise in something in front of the world, hopefully people will come to you for advice.

Is it true that who has a successful blog has an awful lot of time on their hands?

I have a full time job unrelated to the web, I’m getting married this year, I have real live friends and I try to read good old-fashioned books as much as possible. I had to wash the deck patio this afternoon. I wish I had more time on my hands.

What role can bloggers of the world play to make this world more friendlier and less hostile?

By exchanging ideas and putting them into practice: http://www.slowmovement.com/ and http://longnow.org/

Who are your top five favourite bloggers?

http://bookninja.com / http://www.todayinliterature.com/index.asp / http://www.metafilter.com/ / http://scene360.com/ / http://bookslut.com/

Is there one observation or column or post that has gotten the most powerful reaction from people?

I had almost 300 readers in one day for this story: http://fastfictions.wordpress.com/2008/01/20/

What is your perception about Pakistan and its people?

A very passionate, devout and diverse people who are both struggling and celebrating the effects of globalization.

What is the future of blogging?

Here’s one scenario: as technology becomes more embedded in our everyday lives in cell-phones, watches, t-shirts even, there will be more “live-action” bloggers - people stating opinions, ideas, etc on the spot, making use of editing soft-ware to “jazz up” their message. In this case it would move away from the written word to other forms of content.

You have also got a blogging life, how has it directly affected both your personal and professional life?

It’s helped me develop as a writer in a very wired world.

What are your future plans?

I would like to have a second book of fiction out sometime next year.

Any Message you want to give to the readers of The Pakistani Spectator ?

I feel very honored to have been given this time to reflect upon literature and technology and I wish everyone reading this the best in all their future endeavors.