L.A. Culver (Lindsey Les) won Second Place in the Undergraduate Fiction category for her piece, “Vessels”.
by Robin Dubree
What does winning these awards mean to you?
I’m honored, I have never won any sort of award for my creative writing before. I was very excited to receive the news that I won something.
How would you describe your writing? What themes, ideas, and styles do you find recurring throughout your work?
I write a lot, whether it’s fiction, poetry, or academic writing. For poetry my style is a blend between contemporary and 19th century. I’ve always preferred the structure and music of 19th century/Victorian poetry over contemporary. So, in order to write what I wanted and remain appealing I blended the two together. For my prose I typically go for the more modern take where I try not to info dump on every page and have characters speak normally rather than go off on these strange monologues. When it comes to fiction, I don’t particularly enjoy writing contemporary and prefer [genres] like fantasy, science fiction, gothic, and horror.
What are some of your favorite authors? Do you see these authors as influencing your writing?
For poetry my favorite is Emily Dickinson. She was the one who got me writing poetry and her style is so often reflected in my own poems. For prose, it is difficult to choose just one. The two I go for most often are J.R.R. Tolkien and George R.R. Martin just because they wrote my two favorite fantasies out there. However, if I had to choose an author (or in this case a duo of authors under one name) who influences me the most, it would be James S.A. Corey. They have some of the most well written characters out there in their science fiction series The Expanse.
What is your writing process like?
I wouldn’t say I have much of a process. For my bigger projects like my science fantasy series and high fantasy series, I write outlines since they are eventually going to become books. For poetry the words just come to me. I believe I wrote my poem “Lungs” that made it into Analecta in about ten or so minutes because the words would not stop coming to me. I did not outline “Vessels”, but it was improved thanks to my three beta readers.
Can you talk about one of your pieces a little; how did this particular piece come about? What was your inspiration?
“Vessels” is a gothic/horror short story that follows around a female personification of death. I got the idea for the story after listening to the song “Oh Death” by Jen Titus. I was originally going to write a poem about a personification of death, but I figured it would make a better short story.
My job is not done, it is never done; sometimes clocking out is not an option. I work rain, shine, during hurricanes and volcanic eruptions too. There are no snow days; I am busiest when the roads are coated with ice. I am what some wish to avoid and what others seek, but it is not truly up to you whether I come or not. Fate is the plan that destroyed God and fate is my supervisor who determines when I pay you a visit. You won’t always see me, but when you do, take comfort. You will breathe easier once your vessel is emptied.
Excerpt from “Vessels”
The Deadline 