Interviews With Red Beard Authors and artists
All interviews are directly transcribed from the author and should be read as their words and sentiments, the views they express do not represent red beard press in any way
Interview With Cecilia Shoopmann, author of the "Globoe" series
Interview With Cecilia Shoopmann, author of the Globoe series and photographer responsible for Between Here and Home, Huron River Near Spring, On The Floor of an Abandoned Cement Factory, and Rocks Have Feelings Too
Question: Could we start off by having you tell me a bit about yourself and your piece?
​"Of course! I'm Cecilia Shoopmann, 18 years old, and I've moved at least 13 times in my life across three states and six cities. I love dogs and animals and writing. My piece, Globoe sort of came together on accident. There was a prompt during Short Story Workshop like, a year ago or something, and the initial poem that created this town, sort of shot up and became a thing. I've moved a lot, and so the idea of having someplace that can move(although this is never mentioned in either of my pieces, haha) was kind of great to me. Globoe is always changing and growing and evolving, and it's something I'm usually working on."
Question: Why did you decide the focus of your pieces would be personified buildings? Are they personified or is this how buildings really are in California? Why did you decide to make them fall in love?
"In the initial poem, there was a line, 'love letters from the skyscraper to the red house' and my group of friends really, really liked that line, so I thought, 'I guess I have to run with that line, people seem to like it.' And that's what I did. They are definitely personified, haha. Buildings in California, although overwhelming at times, haven't talked in my presence. I wanted them to fall in love, because I don't know if I've ever experienced love, and by writing about it, I think I'm explaining what I want love to be. These buildings are in love to be in love. (Even though it's my story) I think it's kinda beautiful."
Question: I like the fact that humans both are and are not relevant in these stories. Why did you end up putting so much emphasis on inanimate objects? Do you think your bedroom is in love with another part of your home? When you wrote these stories were you looking to create the illusion of distance between the city & it's people. I sort of want to know more about the conflict/peaceful life of the buildings and the people/how they interact. Why does your character hate the love between the skyscraper and the red house? And why do the buildings take on such a parental role?
​"I focus mostly on inanimate objects because I hate naming characters, and when I have objects I can refer to them as what they are, I don't have to stick a name on something. I also think it gives the reader a lot of freedom when they read it. They don't have to stick with a name I give them, like if the Skyscraper was human, it wouldn't be called Bob or George or Peter (well, maybe Peter, I haven't named it as a human), but the reader can call it whatever. I basically focus on buildings because naming people stresses me out.
Uh, I don't think my room is in love with another part of my house. My room is a reflection of me, so it's just messy and almost refuses to love haha.
I think I was trying to create the distance subconsciously, but it didn't occur to me in the process. Most of what I write happens late, late at night, and I don't do much thinking about deeper meanings, they just sort of happen, you know?
So, there are three houses and a skyscraper in Globoe, but really two of the houses are irrelevant. They have no impact on the story, and at this point, in my mind, they have been abandoned and the tenants moved into the Skyscraper. The Skyscraper has become an almost God-like figure in Globoe. It magically provides things to the population inside, it provides water, energy, food, light, oxygen, and a place to live and survive, and no one in the Skyscraper thinks twice about it. They are rather complacent in their life, they are very cattle-like. Addison, the only named character in this town, live the the Red House, and she hates the Skyscraper with a passion. She is almost consumed by it, because she doesn't have the benefit of fitting or living in the Skyscraper, so she's very much on the outside of things. No one in the skyscraper knows it's in love, no one knows there is an outside world. With Addison, I can easily give the reader what it's like to (literally) be on the outside of things. She's lonely, and I really want the reader to see that. Nothing much is ever said about Addison's home life, just that she hates the Skyscraper because it's in love with her house, and they talk all night, so she can't sleep. In my eyes, Addison's parents have either died or moved into the Skyscraper. This, in Addison's eyes is a huge betrayal, and so she's left with this void where her parents once were. The Skyscraper and Red House fill the sort of gap in 'Love Letters.' 'Love Letters' is like their origin story, the 'how we met' story parents tell their children, the first date stories, the first adventures, not only is it a love story, to Addison it's how she was left and then picked up by parental beings. Maybe Addison's parents are the Skyscraper and Red House, who knows? Either way, Addison is so full of resentment towards the two buildings, that she doesn't know what to do with it. She's full of emotion with no where to go.
Did that answer your question? Haha... Sorry, it became really rambling and long winded."
No yeah it did thank you. Question: If you had to describe the photos you took as a part of this inter-play, would they fit in or would they be strangers to this lil town?
"Oh goodness, I have to remind myself which photos were accepted. Rocks Have Feelings Too and Huron River Near Spring would be strangers. They are two parts of nature that don't exist near Globoe. Globoe is very much a barren, desert town, without much to it. Honestly, if the buildings didn't talk, no one would care. Between Here and Home would be somewhere in this town, maybe in the Skyscraper, maybe in Addison's heart, maybe it's even what the Skyscraper is made of. And finally, On The Floor of an Abandoned Cement Factory (wow that's a long title, haha) is what Globoe grew from."
To learn more about Cecilia, Globoe, and her writing or art, check out the First Edition of Pufferfish at the Neutral Zone's Shopify (link here)
Archives-
Search by category-
Pufferfish Magazine