Suzanne Richardson was born and raised in Durham, North Carolina, where she received an alternative education at Carolina Friends School K-12. She then graduated from Bard College in 2005 with a degree in English and Creative Writing. Suzanne currently lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she is an MFA candidate at the University of New Mexico, and teaches English and creative writing. Suzanne has been editor-in-chief of Blue Mesa Review since 2010. Her nonfiction is forthcoming in New Ohio Review, issue 11. This is her first poetry publication.

In answer to our question of why she writes, Suzanne responded:

“When I was a child I wrote because I couldn’t draw very well. My brother would draw pictures and I would make up stories about his characters. Now that I’m older it’s become more of an impulse, a practice. Erica Jong once said, ‘How can I know who I am unless I see what I write?’ and that really sums up for me why I write. Writing is my way of processing and reflecting on the world and experiences I’ve had. My thinking turns into writing. Putting things on the page helps me learn, understand. To read my writing is to know me, know what matters to me, and it allows me to know myself. To stop writing would be to stop learning, stop making connections, and stop caring about the person I am, the world around me, and the person I’m evolving into. I’m almost certain that writing makes me a better person.”

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