An Interview With Inga Muscio: Warrior of Womanhood, Pioneer of Fearless Prose

Inga Muscio‘s words found permanent residency in the hearts and minds of feminists everywhere with her debut book, Cunt. Cunt did more for the feminist movement than shout out a call to reclaim the word itself. Muscio offered an invitation for women to engage in radical self-love and self-knowing. Through her fearless and unapologetic ability to speak candidly, humorously and thoughtfully about the issues women face, Muscio lays it all out on the table. From there, she proceeded to write Autobiography of A Blue-Eyed Devil: My Life and Times in A Racist, Imperialist Society. Her latest book, Rose: Love in Violent Times, both breaks and mends the readers heart by addressing every day acts of violence while offering insights on how to love despite it all. Inga Muscio is fierce and sincere, accessible and passionate and a must read for anyone seeking cunt-loving words of wisdom. She lives, loves and inspires in the Pacific Northwest. -D.B.

1.Can you give some background on your life as a writer? How did you come to choose this career? What kinds of projects have you completed? Did you have a degree in creative writing or journalism?

I started writing stories and poems when I was a kid and just pretty much went with it from there. During the angsty punk rock teenage years it came in damn handy and so by the time I was in my 20s, it was a lifelong habit. I went to Evergreen, in Olympia, WA to get a degree in creative writing. During my first year there, my younger brother was in a horrible car accident, and we lost him. Writing moved me through the worst of the grief. I got my BA, moved back to Seattle and started working for a weekly newspaper here. The articles I wrote eventually coalesced into being Cunt: A Declaration of Independence. Then I wrote Autobiography of A Blue-Eyed Devil: My Life and Times in A Racist, Imperialist Society and my latest book is called Rose: Love in Violent Times.

2. How do you stay motivated to be creative? Where do your ideas come from?

I think the act of being alive is pure creativity. People who don’t consider themselves creative don’t give themselves any credit for the endless fount of creativity they call upon from the moment they wake up, until the moment they fall asleep.

When you’re a kid, so many things are new. It’s perfectly normal to spend entire days lost in totally creative endeavors—sand fortresses, elaborate barbie mansions, mud wars which evolve into vendettas that can last for years.

We still do all of these things when we grow up, but we do them in other, more “responsible” ways—making money, raising children, getting an education. That same creativity becomes a hustle of some kind or another, and hustles are always creative. Ask any grifter, poker player or pool hall ace.

Instead of being a teacher, lawyer, forest ranger, soldier, nurse, or truck driver, I am a writer. The end result of my work is something people can hold in their hands and experience in an intimate way. And moreover, they can experience my work on their terms. They have full control. The end result of most other people’s work is not as tangible or controllable. That’s the only distinction between creatives and non-creatives.

So, short story long, every day that I’m motivated to be alive, I am motivated to be creative. This isn’t to say that I’m always motivated to be alive, however.

My ideas come from a lifelong narrative that has swirled in my mind ever since I was put on this planet. Questions I had as a child that have still never been adequately answered, such as:

Where is heaven and hell? Why do people keep talking about god and the devil? Why do white people think they’re better than everyone else? What were the Missions of California (where we went on 4^th grade field trips) for, exactly? What is slavery again? People really did that? They still do it? What the fuck is going on here? I am a girl? I will be a woman? Will I have to be treated like I am a dumbass unworthy of respect? I will? Fuck! How does one deal with that? What is rape? Why do people rape other people? Children get raped? Are you serious? Okay, how do animals die for our meat again? Animals don’t have feelings? Really? You really think that? Oh, wait, a lot of people think that? Do they also think the earth and everything that lives on it doesn’t have feelings? Shit, they do? How does one deal with that?

As you can imagine, I never run out of ideas. My culture on this planet is bountiful in this way.

3. What advice do you have to someone who wants to be more creative or bring more creativity into their work?

Step away from the negative voice inside your head and give yourself huge credit for every creative endeavor you embark upon each day. Build on that. Every time you catch yourself putting you down, STOP, kiss your hand and scream “I am a mortal fucking genius!” Every time you catch yourself comparing you to others, or being jealous of other people, STOP, kiss whoever you are comparing yourself to and scream, “You are a mortal fucking genius!” You don’t have to do any of this out loud, or in real life (although it’s great if you do), but in your head, at least. You can train yourself to shut that negative voice up. Things come a lot easier once you do that.

Also, if you want to actually make something that others can experience intimately, you have to be willing to face your shit. All your nightmares and things you have hidden will come out. If you are afraid of these things, you will not be able to create whatever it is you want to create.

4. How important is discipline to your creative output? How important is idle time/relaxation?

I think this question has been nixed by my answers in 2 and 3. I think it’s all of a piece. Discipline is not nearly as important as being conscious, which I suppose is considered a discipline. If you have something inside of you, it will come out in it’s own time. You can’t force shit. You can train yourself and hone your craft til you’re technically the greatest at what you do, but you hafta be gentle with yourself to make art. Spending the day at the river with my friends is a vital part of many chapters in my last book. There is no separation in my mind. Idle time is work time, every bit as much as sitting at my computer making new pages appear.

5. What does a typical day look like for you?

I get up in the morning and go for a run. I usually run to the house I used to live in and hang out with the goats for a while. Then I run home. Make tea or coffee, write, email, interviews, breakfast. Then I go work at the refugee office for a few hours. When I get home, I see about dinner and the garden, spend time with loved ones, watch a movie maybe. Go to bed. I love the sameness of my days when I am not traveling.