Meet a Staff Member: Allyson Waldon
Yellow Arrow Publishing would like to introduce our publication sales manager, Allyson Waldon. Ally’s entire world revolves around books. She recently received her MFA in creative writing and publishing arts from the University of Baltimore (UB). While at UB, Ally served as an editor for Welter, a literary magazine. When she isn’t writing, she manages operations at The Book Rack, a woman-run educational book distributor. In her free time, Ally performs with Baltimore-area community theaters and choirs. She is currently working on the creation of a new collaborative musical at Fells Point Corner Theater. She is also working on keeping her dog and cat from eating one another. Interior Lives, a self-published collection of short prose, can be found at allywaldon.com.
Ally states, “I’m excited to work with other creative people who share a similar vision. Lately, I’ve not been writing as much and I feel like working with Yellow Arrow will light up that area of my brain again. I also believe I have a lot to offer to the organization. My current workplace is sometimes reluctant to try new things to connect with a wider audience. It would be great to try and implement these ideas to build relationships with bookstores and to increase readership. I am eager to learn and to be able to use both my organizational workplace skills and my creative skills together in a productive way.”
Tell us a little something about yourself:
I really enjoy making, creating, performing. My MFA culminated in the creation and design of my own book (this includes everything except for physically printing them) and then a reading, which tapped into all of my interests. Who knew there were so many typefaces!
While at UB, I worked on a short-lived podcast for Welter in addition to serving as fiction editor. After graduating, one of my pieces was published in the magazine.
An interesting thing about my writing is that the basis of many of my stories come from a dream journal I keep in the Notes app on my phone. They can get very weird, but it is a great springboard for ideas.
What do you love most about Baltimore?
Baltimore has such a rich literary history (F. Scott Fitzgerald, Lucille Clifton, Edgar Allan Poe) and a great arts scene in general. It also is in close proximity to other east coast cities . . . no reading or concert or museum is more than a day trip away.
Baltimore has a certain quirkiness that many people don’t get, so it’s also a point of pride that I’m from here. Baltimoreans have a strong work ethic. We are resilient and resourceful, but we also know how to have a good time! Also, crabs are delicious. I mean, come on.
How did you get involved with Yellow Arrow and what do you do?
Annie Marhefka (Executive Director), my childhood babysitter, has known me since I was seven years old. Our mothers were best friends and coworkers who bonded over books, so this is in our blood! Annie mentioned to me that there was an opportunity to get involved with publication sales and building relationships with bookstores, which is a large part of my day job. It was meant to be.
What are you working on currently?
I’m collaborating with three other writers on a new musical at Fells Point Corner Theater about what it means to “try.” I’m also in the process of taking the helm at my workplace as the current owner retires. Daunting, but exciting.
What genre do you write (or read) the most and why?
I find that I’m most generative after reading memoir. Perhaps there’s some sort of lightning rod in the reality of someone else’s personal history that helps me tap into my own thoughts. I write flash and short fiction, but I also think flash can sometimes overlap with poetry. The lines are blurry for me.
What book is on the top of your to-be-read pile?
Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw is next on my list.
Who is your favorite writer and why?
Even though I’m a short form writer, I love and admire John Irving. It makes no sense why an elderly, white, male writer would resonate so deeply with me, but good craft is good craft, I suppose. I find myself getting fully absorbed in his books. The World According to Garp is probably my favorite of his.
Who has inspired and/or supported you most in your writing journey?
My mother has always encouraged me to pursue the things that I enjoyed doing rather than the things that would be the most lucrative. She has worked in books for many years and made sure I had access to anything and everything I wanted to read. My father was never ashamed to pick up a book that wasn’t necessarily written for him—a YA dystopian romance or a Hollywood memoir. It set a great example. I think wide exposure leads to better writing, so I have them both to thank for that.
What do you love most about writing?
Writing and creating in general is therapeutic to me. It helps me to dissect and even work out the things in my head. I love the research that comes along with writing. It takes everything in my power not to go off on tangents researching moon phases or the geography of Senegal (these are both real life examples), but I enjoy it immensely.
What advice do you have for new writers?
I would tell new writers to read beyond their genre. It broadens your worldview and helps your writing to be less insular. The best writers are good readers. I’ve been inspired by nonfiction and cookbooks and comic books and even Twitter threads.
What’s your vision for Yellow Arrow in 2023?
There is a lot to SPARK! This year, I hope to have a fire lit within me. I hated high school, but there were some good takeaways. Our school motto was “Lucem accepimus, lucem demus.” We have received light, let us give light. It might seem a little pretentious or even hokey, but it’s an ideal worth exemplifying. When creativity is sparked, it spreads. I hope the creative spark is lit within me, and I am able to tend to the flame in order to pass it on.
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Yellow Arrow Publishing is a nonprofit supporting women writers through publication and access to the literary arts. You can support us as we SPARK and sparkle this year: purchase one of our publications from the Yellow Arrow bookstore, join our newsletter, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter or subscribe to our YouTube channel. Donations are appreciated via PayPal (staff@yellowarrowpublishing.com), Venmo (@yellowarrowpublishing), or US mail (PO Box 65185, Baltimore, Maryland 21209). More than anything, messages of support through any one of our channels are greatly appreciated.