20Q with Anita Marie Moscoso
Writer and Poet
By Chris Dunmire | Posted 11/26/16 | Updated 1/18/24
What’s your name?
Anita Marie Moscoso.
Where are you from?
Mountlake Terrace, Washington USA.
Who are you today?
I'm a writer and a poet and I'm pretty funny —
What do you do?
Same as #3 but I leave out the part about being funny.
What’s your story?
I started blogging when I stumbled over the Soul Food Café website — wow, 10 years ago? I was looking up an address for a restaurant and I found this great website dedicated to writing and other creative projects.
That led to my becoming the writer I am today — and it was all by accident. Isn't that wild? I think it is.
Why is creativity important to you?
Being able to tell stories or sing songs or play an instrument or being able to do magic tricks were highly prized talents in my family. It didn't matter if you 'mastered' them, being able to share a gift like that put you front and center — and when it comes down to it I really liked the attention.
In point — I was a guitarist for over 30 years.
When did you realize you had a creative calling to fulfill?
I drove myself to read when I was six years old so that I could write the stories that popped into my head.
I was reading 4 years above what was set for my age group when I was almost 9 — so I didn't realize it at the time I was driven to write. But as a 52 year old woman and looking back, it was pretty amazing that I did that.
How did you embrace it?
When I was nine I wrote at the drop of a ha — all in long hand. And then I'd bind my stories in yarn — I even made them covers and at the time they were only three or four pages long.
I kept writing through my school years and then I became a musician and the writing fell to the side. But I ended up going back to it via the Soul Food Cafe.
How did that feel?
The more I wrote and developed my voice I felt like a weight had been lifted off of me. I'm much more inclined to speak up, I'm comfortable being alone and now I find myself enjoying my space which means I don't waste a lot of time doing nothing.
If I'm not writing I'm reading, if I'm not reading I'm listening to music and when I'm not doing that I try to get people to tell me little stories about how their day went or what it was like the first time they got lost or stories about their pets.
Where has your journey taken you?
I'm doing exactly what I want to do — I'm writing.
What challenges have you faced?
I've lost people I have loved in the past three years, I lost my nephew in 2006 (which was devastating). I even lost my dogs and my cat.
Living, writing and creating when death has presented itself in such an obvious way is the biggest challenge I have ever faced.
What worked for you?
Going back over my blog and seeing what I've done and saying — I did that.
What didn’t work for you?
Looking for approval. The more confident I was in my work the more likely people were to read ii and to tell me what they thought of it.
What three tips can you share to help others starting on a similar path?
- If you're writing you set the goal lines — just set them.
- Be proud of your work! If it weren't for you that story wouldn't be here today. That means something.
- Read your work — those stories you wrote a month ago, a year ago, a week ago? Just sit back read them and enjoy.
What are you working on now?
I am trying my hand at poetry and I am working on a collection of short stories.
What’s coming up for you in the next year?
The same thing I did last year. I'm on a roll! Why stop now?
What else do you want to do?
I'd like to go back to New Orleans for a visit.
How might you make that happen?
I'll ask for the time off and get my ticket and go.
Favorite monster?
Werewolves. When I was little I use to make fake fangs out of candy corn or taffy.
Where can we find you online?
I am currently working on my blog My Enduring Bones.