“It is my ambition to say in ten sentences what others say in a whole book.”

-Friedrich Nietzsche

In our brief sojourn, often there is much to say and little time. Equally, the most profound statements may be those that deliver their message with an economy of phrasing rather than falling into the trap of excess verbiage. Say what it is you mean to say without relying on preface or unnecessary explanation. A short story can contain within it more power than volume upon volume.

Selina Trepp spoke to us from Chicago in mid-October. The last year was meant to be a busy one for Trepp, but of course, like all of us, things changed and she found herself with a tremendous amount of productive studio time. In addition to her art, Trepp taught remotely while juggling to responsibilities of parenthood during a pandemic with her partner. Her project Woven is a five-minute collaborative animation consisting of “visual music” that was very much pandemic-driven. The project was commissioned by the city of Chicago to be projected on the two and a half acre side of the Merchandise Mart building. To hear more about this work and other aspects of Selina Trepp’s practice, listen to the complete interview.

Robert Schirmer spoke to us from Brooklyn in mid-October. He tells us that in 2021 he found himself “mounting the horse again” after difficult years in 2019 and 2020 in terms of writing. A self-described “wildly inefficient writer,” Schirmer tends to work on multiple projects at a time. Presently he is working on four novels as well as a handful of short stories. In terms of process, Schirmer has a long generative period and will frequently switch between projects, something that he has learned to stop fighting and simply let happen. To hear more about his work and his process of writing, listen to the complete interview.