.Writers.on.Writing.
Get to know our authors, the foundation and heart of Yellow Arrow Journal, and what writing means to them through our monthly series.
W.o.W. #71
Kari Ann Martindale
How did you first publish your writing and what was it?
The first thing I had published was technically a sarcastic editorial I wrote to the local newspaper in high school about Pell Grants for prisoners, though I’ve changed my opinion since then. About the only good thing that came out of it was that I experienced the joy of having someone accept my writing and publish it. Otherwise, I wish I’d never mailed that letter.
What period of your life do you find you write about most often?
I write about 2003 a lot, the time I spent in a war zone in Iraq, which was an unexpected turn in my poetry. And I’m always writing about THE NOW, i.e., current events.
Your most interesting writing quirk?
Unlike many people, I write to silence, with no music or noise in the background.
What does your inner writing voice tell you?
To write even more, and to finish all the poems I’ve started!
Kari Martindale has been published in various literary journals and featured in festivals, ekphrastic events, and literature nights across Maryland. She sits on the Board of Maryland Writers’ Association, helped get EC Poetry & Prose off the ground, and holds an MA in linguistics. Her poem “The List” was a finalist for Line of Advance’s Colonel Darron L. Wright Award. A globetrotter at heart, she’s always planning her next trip. She prioritizes kindness over politeness and justice over peace.
Yellow Arrow published Kari Ann’s piece “Sightseer” in Yellow Arrow Journal, Vol. VII, No. 2, PEREGRINE. You can find her on Instagram @karilogue and her website kariannmartindale.com.