Jerri Jerreat
Jerri Jerreat’s writing, from Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee territory, also appears in Grist/Fix: Imagine 2200 Climate Fiction, Flyway: Journal of Writing & Environment, Onyx Publications, Alluvian, Solarpunk Creatures, Every Day Fiction, Fictive Dreams, Fiction on the Web, Feminine Collective, Yale Review Online, The New Quarterly, The Penmen Review, Glass & Gardens Solarpunk Winters, Glass & Gardens Solarpunk Summers and others. She directs Youth Imagine the Future, a festival which encourages youth to look at solutions around the world and to write solarpunk to inspire others.
Q: What is the first book you remember reading or having read to you as a child?
A: I loved the world of Narnia and Anne of Green Gables equally. I was always looking for secret entrances to another world, and, like Anne, found them in fiction.
Q: What is the least interesting part of writing for you?
A: Keeping on top of sending stories out to the appropriate literary magazines; tracking the rejections – dull work.
Q: What superpower would you like to have and why?
A: I’d like to wave a wand and sweep away hatreds, prejudice, greed—and fake news. I’d like to be able to wake people up to what is more important than money: other people, nature, the fate of the planet. Really, writing is a superpower. I believe writers are changemakers, and have the ability to shift people’s attitudes a little with every story and novel we write. I hope my writing nudges people toward open-mindedness, open-heartedness, and toward taking positive climate action.
Q: Who is your personal inspiration?
A: So many! My mother, Amy Lou Treanor Jerreat, was never afraid to learn new things, was very encouraging, and a good listener. She fought sexism for decades, became a vegetarian before many had heard the word. My adult children inspire me to keep learning, and to be a better me. They surprise me with their resilience and wisdom. My partner, Walt, inspires me to be generous with my time, kind, to work hard, and also to rest, and play.
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