Rogue Agent asked, and writers responded with a photograph that depicts another role in their lives beside "writer."
Image description: Two brushes, a comb, and several barrettes sit on a table. The table is wooden and covered with a purple cloth that is decorated with a white line of Bs. Two bottles of hairspray and a power cord appear at the back of the table.
In my other life, I am a Business Consultant and Educator in the Fashion and Beauty industry.
NAME: Carrie Addington
GENRES: poetry
I'm a full time Business Consultant and Educator in the Fashion and Beauty Industry. At the end of the day, my role as a poet and my professional role are intertwined by the artistry and act of creation that exists in both realms.
Visit Carrie on the web at www.carrieaddington.wordpress.com.
Image description: Coretta Scott King shakes hands with a white boy with blond hair. King wears a red skirt-suit with an orange scarf. The boy -- Charles III - wears a black shirt and a political button. He is accompanied by a man in a gray suit. They stand outside the emergency exit doors of a public building.
In My Other Life I am a civil rights activist.
NAME: Charles Bane, Jr.
GENRES: poetry, criticism
The photo is of my son, Charles III, meeting Coretta Scott King as I look on.
Visit Charles on the web at http://charlesbanejr.com. Sample some of his critical work here.
Image description: A woman performs the side plank pose on a blue mat. (Her weight is on her left foot and left arm. She holds the toes of her right foot with her right hand.) She has brown hair in a ponytail, a red tank top, and black stretch pants. Her studio has white walls and a wooden floor.
In My other life I run a yoga studio.
NAME: Diana Whitney
GENRES: poetry, essays, book reviews
I’m a writer in Vermont and a yoga instructor in my “other life.” I run a small studio attached to my home, where I teach classes, workshops, and private sessions. Yoga practice keeps me grounded in the body amidst the heady highs and lows of writing and publishing. Here’s a photo of me in my favorite pose (side plank, or vashisthasana).
Visit Diana on the web at www.diana-whitney.com.
Image description: Two wooden buildings sit on a snowy hill surrounded by tall dark green trees. The buildings are connected by a wooden wall or covered walkway. There is also snow on the roofs of the buildings.
In my other life, I am a house-sitter who lives simply on the road.
NAME: Therése Halscheid
GENRES: poetry, lyric essay
The photo is of a clapboard home I cared for, known as Beverly’s Hill, situated on the Delaware River in upstate Pennsylvania.
Visit Therése on the web at at www.ThereseHalscheid.com.
This is an abstract painting in pink, lilac, white, gray, and red. The most prominent image is a skull with a round, pink button in the right eye socket.
In my other life, I am a maker...
NAME: Juliet Cook
GENRE: "mostly poetry"
...of multicolored, multishaped, multitextured painting collage art hybrid creatures (because sometimes one-of-a-kind visual expression feels like another kind of poetry).
Visit Juliet on the web at http://julietcook.weebly.com/.
Image description: The picture shows three people in an exhibition hall. The middle figure wears a Halloween costume, specifically the Ghostface mask from the Scream movies with gloves and black clothing. The flash from the camera is reflected by his dark shirt. The student on the left holds papers and a water bottle. She wears glasses, a black sweater, and a red skirt. The student on the right wears a brown sweater and is pretending to scream. The background shows a group of small photographs titled in Chinese.
In my other life I teach cultural studies at universities in Southern China.
NAME: Miodrag Kojadinović
GENRES: poetry, short stories, travel writing, queer theory
And that includes having to take part in events which help the Chinese familiarise themselves with Western customs. Including the silly, and mostly just Unitedstatesian (colloquially: American) Hallowe'en, which -- such as it is -- is not really a part of my own cultural heritage.
Read more from Miodrag on the web here.
Image description: A collage that resembles an old-fashioned advertisement depicts a woman and her two daughters in flannel nightgowns. They are posed in front of a dark picture of a man's face. The woman's arm, which rests on her daughter's shoulder, is labelled with the word "threat" on a white background. The word covers the entire arm. The figures are surrounded by a larger yellow background that includes excerpts from recipes.
In my other life I am a mother...
NAME: Sheila Squillante
GENRES: poetry, essay
... a threat / a strong arm with sweet sweet smile / a flannel nightgown lined with quiet and trimmed with teeth.
Sheila tweets @SheilaSquill. Visit her on the web at www.sheilasquillante.com.
Image description: Carrie Nassif has shoulder-length brown hair, brown eyes, and a wide smile. She is wearing a black and white patterned shirt. She sits at her desk in an office with beige walls. The wall behind her desk holds her framed diploma, a small picture, and a clock.
In my other life, I am a clinical psychologist with a full-time private practice.
NAME: Carrie Nassif
GENRE: poetry
Both roles can be emotionally intense and transformative; but writing is what I do for me. On the other hand, I'm not sure that I could write if I wasn't also being exposed to the vicarious trauma and healing of other people.
Laurie Kolp stands in front of the tailgate of a ferry. The sea and the sky are visible behind her. There are a few small boats on the water and some seagulls in the air. Laurie is a thin white woman with her brown hair in a ponytail. She is wearing sunglasses, a white, stripped shirt without sleeves, and a pair of black athletic shorts. She has one hand raised over the tailgate, feeding the gulls.
In my other life, I am a feeder.
NAME: Laurie Kolp
GENRE: poetry
I feed my husband and kids. I feed my dogs and birds. I feed the hungry. In the picture, I'm at the back of the ferry leading into Galveston.
Laurie tweets @KolpLaurie. Visit her on the web at http://lauriekolp.com.
Image description: Four elementary school children work together on a classroom floor. The floor has a grey rug, and there are yellow and blue shape charts, brown and blue work mats, a vase of flowers, and a notebook in the center of the group. The area is surrounded by wooden shelves that hold classroom supplies.
In my other life, I am a Montessori teacher.
NAME: Ann Hudson
GENRE: poetry
I teach 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders all together in a classroom. Here some students are using what they've learned in their botany and geometry studies to design their own flowers, labeling all the parts of their imagined flower.
Visit Ann on the web at www.annhudson.net.
Image description: A white bookshelf with vertical divisions is filled with books of many colors and sizes. The largest and most readable book titles are "Luck," "Why You See It," "Spain," and "Prose."
In my other life, I am a free-range librarian.
NAME; Sarah Winn
GENRES: poetry, hybrid forms, flash
Roaming the nonfiction stacks is the best remedy for writer's block; little factoids jump start many of my poems.
Sarah tweets at @blueaisling. Visit her on the web at bluebirdwords.com.