Interview With Anna Prushinskaya

3 mins read

Anna Prushinskaya edits The Outlet. I met her and lived with her for a time in Ann Arbor. I’ve always loved her writing and I’m super excited about what she’s doing in Brooklyn.

Natasha Stagg: Tell me about Brooklyn College.

Anna Prushinskaya: Brooklyn College’s campus is beautiful and ranked for it. There’s really delicious pizza nearby.

NS: How does it compare to the U of M?

AP: My experience of Brooklyn College is very different–it’s from the point of view of a teacher and grad student, a vantage point I didn’t have at U of M. Two highlights:

(1) Supportive fellow writers and teachers in my program

(2) Discussing David Foster Wallace’s “This is Water” with my freshman comp students (“This IS water,” they said).

NS: What do you do in New York, in relation to literature?

AP: Sometimes, I work on my novel (I’m finishing my MFA Fiction degree at Brooklyn College this Spring). And then, there’s Electric Literature.

NS: Tell me more about that and what you do there.

AP: I’m the Online Editor. This means I deal with anything related to our blog, The Outlet, which includes soliciting stories, excerpts, reviews, thoughts, and coordinating our “serious literary gossip” efforts. I also run our Twitter account.

NS: What do you miss about Michigan?

AP: Trees and lakes and people.

NS: Where do you plan to live?

AP: I’ll end up back in Michigan, but I’m not sure exactly when.

NS: And where do you think literature is going? Does this question stress you out as it does me?

AP: Actually, it doesn’t stress me out as much as you might think. Working at EL has made me into a kind of optimist about books and book culture, as has being immersed in the vibrant literary community here in NYC. It’s inspiring to see indies recognized through such venues as the Pulitzer and National Book Awards. The digital transition is definitely a tumultuous time which poses new and difficult challenges, but they’re not insurmountable. In the words of Richard Nash, The Future of Publishing is Totally Okay.

Contact:
The Outlet
www.electricliterature.com/blog/
Electric Literature
325 Gold St. Suite 303
Brooklyn, NY 11201