On today’s Story Works Reading Series, Laura James reads “Stuck.” When an ex-pat drifts aggressively through Paris, in search of love and belonging, we wonder if she is running away or toward something? With wry humor, the city comes to life as Leah navigates public transit, a classic Parisian building, and her own inner world.
After the reading, Laura and I sit down to chat about “Stuck” – Laura in Southern Spain and I in Minnesota – its inspiration in real life, writing during total lockdown, and much more!
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Laura James, author of Stuck
Laura James is a New Jersey native, artist, and lifelong poet, ever since her elementary school teacher told her she had a distinct voice. She left the Garden State to study journalism at The City College of New York and to work in Manhattan’s Michelin star restaurants. In her years as a New Yorker, she picked up bedbugs, vegetarianism, and impatience.
Laura currently lives in the sunny and slow south of Spain where she creates, teaches English, and takes more analog photos than her budget allows. For several months after relocating, she was asked, time and time again, if she was in a rush. After a while, she either learned to take it easy or to appear as if she is.
Rather than impatience, Laura now grows sourdough and plants.
About Your Host
Alida Winternheimer is the author of The Skoghall Mystery Series, A Stone’s Throw, and The Story Works Guide to Writing FictionSeries. She further pursues her fervor for all things story as a writing coach and developmental editor. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her Golden Retriever, Seva the Wonder Dog. She camps, bikes, and kayaks in her free time. Unless it’s winter, in which case she drinks chai by the fire. You can find more at www.wordessential.com/about.