All Member Spotlights
Member Spotlights

Member Spotlight: Steven Schindler

black and white photo of author Steven Schindler and an image of his book Fallout Shelter

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? It’s all about storytelling as it has been since the first drawing appeared on a cave wall. Having grown up on the streets of the Bronx I was surprised when I first went away to college and new friends, not from New York City, were amazed with my urban experiences. Stories, whether fiction or true, are how we share our humanity and grow.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? I’m not sure who said it first, but the first rule of writing is to put the seat of your pants on the seat of your chair.

What is your favorite time to write? After the first jolt of morning caffeine kicks in. Then… go!

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? Having worked for decades in most genres of TV the first interview I ever conducted was with Kurt Vonnegut at an anti-nuke rally in DC. After the usual news chat, I asked him what advice he would give to an aspiring writer. Without hesitation he replied, “Never take a writing class.”

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? Just the thought that with all the bullshit we’re being bombarded with from all sorts of screens and speakers, someone sat down, tuned everything out, and imagined themself being in a world I created.

Steven Schindler’s Fallout Shelter is out now with The Elevated Press.