BCC Shines A Light on: Todd Sullivan
1. Name of the piece published by BCC:
Answer: A Life in a Night
2. When/where was it originally published:
Answer: This piece was first published in 2002 in a self-published collection of short stories, poems and a novella titled ONE HOUR.
3. What is the background of the piece? What led you to write it? What’s your process?
Answer: This flash fiction pice, “A Life in a Night”, was written during the National Book Foundation Summer Writing Camp, which the organization used to hold in the upstate New York area for young aspiring writers. The camps took place in the forests near mountains, and the year I wrote this piece, I was in a scenic location called Silver Bay.
Living in the city, it’s easy to forget that stars exist in the night sky. In Silver Bay, away from the city lights, the sky would be full of stars, and we would often go out at night to the docks and gaze up at them. This is what led to me to personify the night, writing a narrative depicting the moment of the night’s birth in the evening, to its death in the morning.
My process of writing this piece was simple. The camp was a workshopping experience, so we would write something, read it, and then the group would discuss it. The NBF Summer Writing Camps were an amazing experience that unfortunately were cut from their program more than fifteen years ago.
4. How did you feel when it was first published and how have your thoughts or feelings on the piece changed from then to now?
Answer: ONE HOUR, A collection of short stories, poems, and a novella, was the only writing I ever self- published. It was an exciting experience in which I learned a lot about the Herculean efforts it takes to get one’s writing out there for others to read. A Life in a Night was always one of the most popular pieces of the collection. I loved the poetry of the narrative when I first wrote it, and I love the poetry of the narrative two decades later. My feelings about the piece have remained the same.
5. Is there a specific message you’d like readers to take away from reading this piece?
Answer: I believe that as we walk through life, we only see a small fraction of the picture of reality. I also believe that each life we live is but one rung of a ladder, or one cycle of perhaps an infinite number of cycles. We can’t recall what came before we were born, and we don’t see what comes after we die. We tend to think of that as a tragedy, but perhaps it’s purposeful, allowing us to live each new life as a blank slate freer of baggage from the previous one.
6. Where can readers find more of your work? (Website/social media, etc)
Answer: Please find my fantasy book series, YouTube Channel, and digital magazine at the links below.
THE WINDSHINE CHRONICLES: http://mybook.to/WindshineChronicles
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ToddSullivanacrowsflying
Samjoko Magazine: https://www.samjokomagazine.com/
