‘Mouths of Others’ event features author Margaret Malone

Margaret Malone, author of the book, “People Like You,” a collection of short fiction stories, came to MHCC on Wednesday for a reading of her work as part of the Mouths of Others speaker series, sponsored by the Humanities department.

Her book has been well received, collecting several positive reviews and awards. Among the recognition gained is the PEN/Hemingway award, for which the book is a finalist. “It was so validating,” she said about being nominated.

Malone started writing when she was 27 and continued because there was nothing she loved to do more, she told the audience gathered in the Visual Arts Theater. She had a vision of writing a book and having it published. She began writing short stories, which was her favorite format, with the goal of using it for her first book.

She said the hard part of the writing process was making sense of how to put all of her stories together in one book, and also just staying persistent throughout the years it took. Hiring an editor helped her to decide what content would make the end result.

One of Malone’s first stories to get published, in 2004, was “Sailing Alone Around The World.” It was a story her publisher suggested she leave out of the book, despite it being a story that was very close to her. She understood and agreed that it didn’t fit the overall tone of the other stories.

With the success of her book, Malone has been doing readings across the nation, from New York City to the Pacific Northwest.

Outside of her role as an author, Malone co-hosts an art and literary gathering called SHARE. She said that every few months 12-15 artists are invited to come together and after they are given a one-word prompt, the artists have two hours to create something based on the prompt. The gatherings are not limited to authors and painters; those who consider themselves creative in their work are welcome to participate, she said.

The idea is that by the end of the gathering, the focus is not particularly on the end product, but rather on helping each other get past being stuck and to enjoy the creative process.

Malone gained inspiration for her writing from many different writers, she said, including Matt Klam and Kevin Barry. For her own book, the style of writing about realism was a prominent influence.

For aspiring new writers, Malone offered some words of advice: “Write a lot, read a lot, and keep going. Don’t give up hope.”