Welcome back to our Writers’ Room interview series! Today we’re talking with Amontaine Aurore, a member of the 2023 Seattle Writers’ Room cohort.
The Writers’ Room, located on Level 9 of the Central Library, offers a space for writers to work on their projects and access Library resources. Use of the room is through an application process for the Writers’ Room Residency.
We asked some of our current Writers’ Room Residents questions to learn more about them and their experience in the Writers’ Room. Today we spoke with Amontaine Aurore.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your writing! What has your experience been like using the Writers’ Room so far?
I was always fascinated by the spectacle of the 9th Floor Writers’ Room when I used to see it on my trips to the Seattle downtown library. There was a certain unmistakable cachet it held in my imagination. Spaces specifically designed for art and artists hearten me, and captivate with a sense of romance and intrigue. So, when I saw the opportunity to apply for the Writers’ Room Residency, I jumped on it, and was honored to be chosen.
Primarily I work as a playwright, and have written several plays that explore Washington State history and events. I have written about the 1968 Seattle Chapter of the Black Panther Party and the legendary 1999 Seattle WTO protests. I have explored the Washington logging industry and the Spotted Owl controversy that accelerated the conflict between environmentalists and logging communities. But it has only been recently that I began to glean how my personal family story could be and should be included as part of the historical narratives that I am documenting. In the year that I’ve had access to the Writers’ Room, I’ve worked on an autobiographical work-in-progress novel that tells a bit of my family’s history in the Pacific Northwest.
To do this work has required ample discipline and focus. Having access to the Writers’ Room has allowed me to get away from the everyday distractions that sometimes plague me at home, and which ever-so-slyly tend to derail me. I have been amazed at how much writing I’ve accomplished this year, and inspired by the joy that wells up in me on those days where I grab my coffee, water, a snack, my laptop, and make my way to the library to get down to business.
What are your favorite writing collections or resources that you’ve used?
The vast resources of the library have been a boon for my research needs. The SPL librarians have a lot of expertise and are exuberant about serving the public. The Special Collections catalog that targets local history and topics has been of particular benefit to my project. One of the events that I’m including in my novel is the experience of my parents surviving the Vanport City Flood in Oregon, which completely wiped out the Vanport housing project and uprooted an entire community. Although this flood could be compared to Katrina, there is very little written about it and is unknown by many. The librarian I worked with went above and beyond in helping me locate what materials there were on this flood, as well as books and articles on other lesser-known weather events that displaced African American communities in the 20th Century.
It has been a wonderfully productive year for my novel, and I must give a lot of credit and thanks to the Writers’ Room experience. Yes, there is a sense of romance attached to such a space, but ultimately, and perhaps more importantly, the Writers’ Room has given me a practical and valuable place for gettin’ it done.
Interested in applying for the Writers’ Room Residency? Applications for the 2024 Writers’ Room cohort will close December 22, 2023. Those accepted into the program in 2024 will have access to the room during the Library’s open hours through December 20, 2024. Click here to apply!
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