A.C. Mapes (she/her/hers) is GME Program Manager in SMPH’s Department of Medicine. Mapes’ essay, Exposed: a germaphobe in quarantine, was published in the Fall 2022 issue.
Editor’s note: the terms art and artists are used as umbrella terms in this context and include writing and writers.
Question 1: What drew you to writing and what is your background in it?
Mapes: When I graduated from college in 2010, I was lost without the structure of the academic world that had grounded me for nearly two decades. I was no longer focused on finishing my homework, passing the next test, and graduating. I had no idea who I was without my identity as a student. I considered that old question for getting unstuck and finding joy: “What did you like to do as a child?” As a child, I loved to write and tell stories. So, I created a personal blog to report on my search for joy and purpose as I transitioned to adulthood. My audience was small (if existent).
Five years later, I signed up for a writing workshop at Madison Public Library that was led by one of the co-founders of Madison Writers’ Studio. It was my first experience close reading a published piece of work and sharing my own writing. After that, I signed up for as many workshops as I could. Writing brought me the joy and purpose I had been searching for and workshops provided direction and community.
Question 2: What motivates you to create and what inspires your art?
Mapes: Life is both my motivation and inspiration. Writing is my way of processing my experience as a human and bringing order to my thoughts and ideas.
Question 3: Do you have any favorite artists or art that have influenced you and who/what are they?
Mapes: Melissa Febos and John Green. Both write with honesty, curiosity, and an emotional depth I feel at my core. When I’m done reading something either one has written, I know more about myself and the world than I did when I started. Their work often sparks ideas for themes or situations I want to explore in my own writing.
Question 4: How do you balance your art with the rest of responsibilities in your life and does art help you in those other arenas of your life?
Mapes: I like to give time to myself before I give of myself. My favorite way to start the day is with coffee and a blank page. By taking that time in the morning, I’m able to be more present for other activities.
Question 5: What is next for your art (anything you are working on now or planning to)?
Mapes: I’m in the middle of writing the book I wish had existed when I needed it! It’s a coming-of-age novel about a young woman with an expanding understanding of her identity, which pushes her to learn to assert herself. Coincidentally, she works for a medical school.
Question 6: Do you have any advice for anyone curious or interested in getting into writing who hasn’t before?
Mapes: Join one of the local Meetup groups that get together to write from prompts or take a free writing workshop at the Madison Public Library, The Bubbler, or DreamBank. Reading your work out loud to strangers will help you understand how your work resonates with others, which is motivation to keep writing.