KATRIN SCHUMANN

Writer

I used to love the old hum and ding! of electric typewriters. It was the sound of a story unfolding. As a child in London, I'd quietly listen to my family's stories - of war and death, love gone wrong, faraway places - and later I would rewrite them in my head.  Fill in the details, the motives, make up new endings.  Looking back, it’s no surprise I ended up a writer.

One of the interesting things about being German and moving a lot is that I hear so many stories from all sorts of people.  It's remarkable to me the way our lives share similar themes, whether we are from the Philippines, Phoenix or Frankfurt.  In my teaching, I emphasize this breadth of vision.  In my reading, I like the sound of  the different voices in my head.  And in my writing, I value the quiet moment before the the keys start click-clacking and the story resumes.

Duke Ellington said, "I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues." Now that's a philosophy you can live by.