A Few Words
Maggie Nerz Iribarne
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What was the inspiration, or the seed, for this piece?
Agatha Christie! I've been reading a newish biography by Lucy Worsley (Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman) out loud to my elderly mother in which I learned of Christie's knowledge of poisons (which she acquired working as a nurse during the first world war). She killed off over 30 of her characters with poison. This prompted a library search where I found a book called A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie. Anyway, that book was sitting on my kitchen table when I wrote this little piece.
People always ask how you got into writing, but what keeps you writing?
I simply know no other way. I've been writing in some way my entire life. I started with poetry, then essay and fiction. I have always kept a daily journal. In the last five years or so I've gotten really into short stories and just love the form. It's really hard! I am always trying to improve, try something new, sharpen my editing skills. It's an endless pursuit. I'm never bored.
I was reminded of Edward Gorey's The Gashlycrumb Tinies when reading your piece; I think this came from the 'A is for..., B is for...' structure being reminiscent of picture books, as well as the darkness of the subject matter -- did you have any of this in mind when writing the piece?
I didn't. See above. It was all Agatha!
And, finally, if flash fiction were a fruit, which one do you feel it would be?
A grape. You bite in, get a sharp, juicy burst of flavor, then it is gone, but you always want another!
You can read Maggie Nerz Iribarne’s piece, Alphabetic Disorder, here.
Alphabetic Disorder appeared in The Mersey Review 2 (Spring 2024)
Maggie Nerz Iribarne is 54, lives in Syracuse, NY, writes about witches, priests/nuns, the very very old, struggling teachers, neighborhood ghosts, and other things. She keeps a portfolio of her published work at https://www.maggienerziribarne.com