BCC Shines A Light On: Susan Melinda Moree

BCC Shines a Light On:

Susan Melinda Morée

Name of the piece published by BCC:

Driving Naked Westward After Midnight

When/where was it originally published:

Word Riot in 2006.

Tell us more about your piece! What is the background of the piece? What led you to write it? What’s your process?

My father died in 1991 when I was 24. While he was dying, I moved to New York City and landed my first professional job in a mid-sized publishing house. After my father’s death, I started suffering panic attacks. I quit and went back home for a few months and, with my tiny inheritance, I bought an old Nissan 300 ZX that couldn’t get above 60 miles an hour without the steering wheel shaking.

How did you feel when it was first published and how have your thoughts or feelings on the piece changed from then to now?

It was a breakthrough story for me and my first published work of fiction. The story invokes a lot of nostalgia for me now as it reminds me of a much earlier time in my life, both as a writer and as a person.

Is there a specific message you would like readers to take away from reading this piece?

I want the reader to come away with a feeling of what it’s like to be down and out in your 20s, both unsure of the future but still hopeful.

What else would you like to tell readers about your writing? (Doesn’t have to refer only to your BCC piece)

I also write poetry, plays and journalism. I was recently published by 2River and New Mexico Poetry Anthology, 2023. You can also find my work at Piltdown Review. I have a short story coming out in the Downtime Review in April.

Where can readers find more of your work? (Website/social media, etc)

www.susanmelindamoree.com

Twitter: @SusanMMoree

Insta and Threads: @susanmelindamoree

I am also starting a substack newsletter in 2024 called The Emily Dickinson Newsletter about overlooked, underappreciated women experimental writers. You can sign up at susanmelinda.substack.com.