Mark Stevens et al sought literary recipe for flavor of the high desert

Mark Stevens is the author of “No Lie Lasts Forever,” “The Fireballer” and The Allison Coil Mystery Series including “Antler Dust,” “Buried by the Roan,” “Trapline,” “Lake of Fire” and “The Melancholy Howl.” He lives in Mancos, plays bass in two rock bands, and sits on the board of the Mancos Creative District and Four Corners Writers. He collaborated with Chuck Greaves and Lisa C. Taylor to curate the anthology “Four Corners Voices.” More at www.writermarkstevens.com.

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SunLit: Tell us this book’s backstory – what’s it about and what inspired you to write it? 

Mark Stevens: The anthology “Four Corners Voices” grew out of Four Corners Writers, a group formed in 2017 around the craft and business of writing. The group meets on the third Wednesday of every month at Zu Gallery in downtown Cortez for workshops and discussions. 

The group formally incorporated in May of 2024 thanks to a generous grant from the LOR Foundation and 81321 Launch and began planning to publish its first collection of local writing, all in line with our mission of “identifying, developing, and promoting literary voices in the American Southwest.” 

A region-wide call to writers went out in the summer of 2024 seeking short stories, essays, and poetry. In September, the editors (Mark Stevens, essays; Chuck Greaves, fiction; Lisa C. Taylor, poetry) set about sifting through a waterfall of submissions, making challenging choices along the way. 

SunLit: Place the excerpt you selected in context. How does it fit into the book as a whole and why did you select it?

Stevens: This particular “sample” is really three-in-one — a complete short story by David Feela, a poem by Kirbie Bennett, and the beginning of an essay by Amorina Lee-Martinez. Out of the 12 short stories, 24 poems, and 13 essays in the volume it was very hard to pick three! 

David Feela’s short story is a masterclass in reduction and cleverness, taking a familiar moment and leading up to an unexpected, moving punchline. I’m no poetry expert but very glad that award-winning poet Lisa C. Taylor found Kirbie Bennett’s inspired piece. We’ve had several local readings from the anthology, and Bennett’s delivery of this gem is always moving. 

And Lee-Martinez’s essay “How To Be A Good Ancestor” touches on themes familiar to anyone who lives in southwest Colorado, where evidence of civilizations that have come before us abound, beginning with Mesa Verde National Park, Canyon of the Ancients, Crow Canyon Archaeological Center and locations scattered throughout the canyons of the high desert. 

SunLit: What influences and/or experiences informed the project before writers sat down to write and editors to edit? 

Stevens: As editors, we decided to give preference to pieces that captured the spirit of the Four Corners region, whether by indirect or direct reference. That wasn’t a hard-and-fast rule, but it helped us winnow down what to publish. The end result is a tasty stew of styles that captures, in my humble opinion, the spirit of life here. We received nearly 140 submissions and “only” published 49. It was a grueling process! 

SunLit: What did the process of writing this book add to your knowledge and understanding of your craft and/or the subject matter?

Stevens: Well, speaking personally as one of the editors, all I can really say is that I’m endlessly in awe of a good writer’s ability to bring us to a moment in time or a certain place and make us forget that we are reading a book. 

There are many moving, deeply personal moments throughout the book. There’s one in particular that I cannot read out loud without getting a little lump in my throat and that’s Caroline Brown’s “My Last Normal Day.” It seems so harmless and straightforward at first and then, wham, she brings back all the uncertainty and loneliness of the COVID pandemic. 

Kathryn Wilder’s “The Truth I Cannot Tell” also catches you off-guard. It’s deeply personal in a way that I guarantee you won’t see coming. 

SunLit: What were the biggest challenges you faced in editing this book?

Stevens: Easy question! Choosing what to publish. There were many close calls. In the end, we had to look at the whole array of all the pieces and try to minimize redundancy, too.

SunLit: What do you want readers to take from this book? 

Stevens: First, that writers in the Four Corners region are as talented as they come. And, second, I hope that reading these pieces will impart a flavor of life in the high desert country including the wilderness, the mountains, the rivers, and the easy access to places where you can quickly find yourself very, very alone. 

SunLit: Since you edited the essays, Mark, we’ll ask you to pick your favorites from the other two categories, short stories and poetry.

Stevens: Unfair! If I refuse to answer, what’s the punishment? OK, if pressed I would pick the poem “Water Will Find You (because you belong here) at Cannonball Mesa,” by Renee Podunovich. I don’t know what style of poetry this is because I don’t speak poetry, but it’s a very elegant and visceral description of an expedition down one of those ubiquitous dirt roads. There’s something very primal and timeless about Renee’s writing. 

And Katayoun Medhat’s story “Lay-by-Lullabye” is a breezy, easy gem that showcases her inviting narrative style. OK, here’s the opening line: “Toenails painted as pink as the gum she is chomping on, Larissa blows bubbles that inflate like tumors until they burst with a dull plop.” Impossible to not keep reading! I highly recommend Medhat’s “Milagro Mysteries,” too, featuring Welsh/Jewish small-town cop Franz Kafka (yes, Frank Kafka) set in the fictional town of Milagro.    

SunLit: Tell us about your next project.

Stevens: The follow-up anthology is being planned! Submissions are due July 1. Head here to Four Corners Writers for submission guidelines. 

A few more quick items

Currently on your nightstand for recreational reading: “A German Requiem” by Philip Kerr, book 3 in his Berlin Noir trilogy featuring detective Bernie Gunther. The writing is aces.

First book you remember really making an impression on you as a kid: “Robinson Crusoe” by Daniel Defoe

Best writing advice you’ve ever received: Keep writing. And keep writing some more. You will get better.  

Favorite fictional literary character: Thomas Ripley as created by Patricia Highsmith, particularly “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” “Ripley Under Ground,” and “Ripley’s Game.” The movie versions of “The Talented Mr. Ripley” are good, especially the recent Netflix series “Ripley” starring Andrew Scott, but nothing beats the books.

Literary guilty pleasure (title or genre): I refuse to feel guilty about any of my reading choices. You can’t make me! However, I do have a soft spot for gripping true crime and for a great music memoir from any era of rock & roll.  

Digital, print or audio – favorite medium to consume literature: I love a great audiobook. I have yet to read a digital book. I have nothing against them in theory, but I haven’t done it yet. 

One book you’ve read multiple times: “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad

Other than writing utensils, one thing you must have within reach when you write: Black coffee

Best antidote for writer’s block: Write whatever you’re thinking at that moment. Make a list of distractions. Or make a list of the questions you’ve got about the plot at that moment. Or write a list of the options for where the plot could go at that moment. Or back up a few pages and rewrite a scene or two. Whatever it is, keep writing. If that doesn’t work, take a break. Cut yourself some slack. Ask your subconscious to work out the problem. It’s in there, believe me.  

Most valuable beta reader: Without question, my highly discerning wife, Jody Chapel. Close second is my highly discerning agent, Josh Getzler.  

Type of Story: Q&A

An interview to provide a relevant perspective, edited for clarity and not fully fact-checked.