Celebrating Our Elders: Interview with Marge Simon

Melle Tillison Broaderick

Marge Simon lives in Ocala, Florida, with her husband, poet/writer Bruce Boston. She has won multiple Bram Stoker Awards, Rhysling Awards, the Elgin, Dwarf Stars, and Strange Horizons Readers’ Awards. She received HWA’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021. Marge’s works have appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, New Myths, and Daily Science Fiction. Her stories also appear in anthologies such as the 2020 Bookfest Award-winning Under Her Skin, the Colorado Book Award-winning Shadow Atlas, and Sifting the Ashes, to name a few. She attends the ICFA annually as a guest poet/writer and is a Speculative Literary Foundation member. Website: http://www.margesimon.com

Did you start out writing or working in the horror field, and if so why? If not, what were you writing initially and what compelled you to move into horror?

Actually, being a rather unconventional little girl, I was composing illustrated horror narratives at the age of twelve. I read a lot, too. I remember feeling vaguely insulted by age-appropriate (read: middle school) ghost stories, like so what? Same for “scary” horror movies. But when I saw the illustrations of the Beast Things in Andre Norton’s Star Man’s Son, 2250 A.D., I was delighted. They were all hunched over, drooling, with rows of sharp fangs and an oversized cranium — about as far from Caspar, the Friendly Ghost as you can get. I wanted to write about monsters like them. I wanted to recreate my own version. Later, as I matured, I wanted to write what I enjoyed reading about, which involved the dark side of the mind.

Who were your influences as a writer when you started out and who, if anyone, continues to influence you?  

 I mentioned Andre Norton, an award-winning novelist. She was one of many genre writers, such as Theodore Sturgeon, Ray Bradbury, and Charles Beaumont, to name a few that influenced my creativity – writing, poetry, and illustration. They’re all still with me. Such influences never die. Some contemporary writers: Robert Dunbar, Mike Arnzen, Bryan Dietrich, Brian Evenson, Steve Erickson, Angela Carter, and Elizabeth Massie. Of course, my award-winning husband of 22 years, Bruce Boston, has been an influence on my poetry as well as short dark fiction. A good story or poem should resonate to be of merit, and that’s what I strive for. Of course, poetry can vary in purpose and style, and subject! I’d like to say I’m well-versed in them all, no pun intended.

How have the changes in horror publishing over the past decades affected you?  

The small and greater small presses that welcomed (and paid for) my illustrations and poetry have all but vanished. I see new ‘zines popping up on Indiegogo and Kickstarter like spring crickets. Maybe they get some funding, maybe not enough–often, they fold after the first issue. There’s no time to get familiar with what they are doing right or wrong. On the plus side, I’m finding some that will take (and pay for) super short fiction as well as poetry. In the past fifteen years, HWA has continued to champion and support dark poetry, bringing it to the forefront for prestige such as awards and scholarships. As a poet of the dark side, I’m elated!

Do you think you’ve encountered ageism? If so, how do you counteract or deal with it? 

I have no proof that my work is being ignored because of my age. My submissions may have less a chance of being accepted because younger editors (read MFA grads) have their own ideas about writing picked up in college. Moreover, I’ve noticed that, for me, there are stylistic problems in what they accept and publish. Would older writers fit in the diversity category? I doubt it.

What do you wish you knew when you were just getting into the field?

I wish I’d had the internet, the source of a great deal more of my learning, pertaining to the biz of writing and publishing. Everything you need to know about writing and submitting, including online magazines and examples, is out there. I wish I’d known more about (genre) writers’ boot camps and conferences that I could have participated in.

Do you have any advice for writers just starting out?

Read, read, read. Just as an artist is recommended to “draw every day,” writers need to try to read something every day–several pages, a chapter, a poem, etc. Let their craft sink in.  Notice what the writer does to get the reader involved. And hey, take a break from Facebook, Just Do It!

Do you think older characters are represented fairly and honestly?

I can’t respond to this question without knowing the work. Speaking generally, even today, older characters are often cliches, like evil and foul smelling, with minds bent on hurting innocent women and children. 

What are some of your favorite portrayals of older characters?

In The Sinner tv series, Bill Pullman plays an older man haunted by his own demons. How about the disturbing The Hateful Eight, with aging but vile Samuel L. Jackson and dirty old man, Bruce Dern? Most of the cast were seniors, but obviously too mean and murderous to die young. 

Do you have anything you’d like to add that we haven’t asked?

Addendum:

I was born with a pencil in my mouth but traded it for a word processor. Seriously, I was inclined early on to make up stories and enact them, either with friends or imaginary creatures. My first written story, age 11, was an illustrated narrative, “A Bug Bit Me!” and scary monsters and icky stuff. I pretty much got it out of my system. That may be why I don’t write fiction or poetry about nauseating things. But I have a wide range of interests when it comes to reading, always have. Frex, I’ve got Josh Malerman’s Malorie in the car for waiting room reading along with 

The New Yorker.