Life & Work with Carla Sameth

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carla Sameth.

Hi Carla, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I began writing at an early age, and my mother used to get up and type my stories for me. I later did the same for my son. I always wrote, whether it was a short story, essay, play, poem, or journal. When I went to college, I switched my focus from creative writing to political economy and started working with community organizations in the social justice arena. All along, I continued to write. Later, when I experienced multiple miscarriages in my struggle to have a child, writing helped get me through. Those two things, writing and motherhood, have been constants in my life and given me strength. Because motherhood can be the most beautiful and tender, the most bloody and terrifying, the most vulnerable act we can do, as well as the ultimate demonstration of our imperfections, it has always given me fertile ground for writing.

As a single mom, I focused on working and “bringing home the oatmeal.” After my son left home, I went back to school, got my MFA in Creative Writing at age 55, and wrote my memoir. I published my first book at age 60.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Oh no! Writing and motherhood are not often smooth.

Growing up, I was a tough and tenacious tomboy nicknamed “Sammy Boy.” I had an amazing fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Kumata, who kept us safe in a rough school and encouraged us to be creative and proud of who we were. I’m still in touch with some of my classmates from that time, and their memories of me as “Sammy Boy” helped me stay grounded. I’m told I was like Arya from “Game of Thrones.” When faced with obstacles and struggles, I try to find and channel the courage I had back then.

Once, before becoming a mother, I found myself on a burning boat. While in a lifeboat in the middle of the Mediterranean, I realized that if I were to die, my one regret would be that I had not yet had a child. After many struggles, I finally gave birth to a son. I overcame miscarriages, rough marriages, and many other challenges (complicated by issues of race, culture, identity, violence, family, community, and addiction) on my journey as a mother. My stories along the way became the loosely woven reflective tales of my memoir. On one hand, I wish I’d been able to publish my memoir sooner, but on the other hand, having some life experience added a lot to the book.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am really proud of the memoir I finally published, One Day on the Gold Line: A Memoir in Essays. https://carlasameth.com/one-day-on-the-gold-line/. It was recently re-issued by a new, local publisher (December 2022), Golden Foothills Press http://www.goldenfoothillspress.com/. In addition, I have been teaching creative writing to different ages, diverse communities, and various groups, including incarcerated youth.

While my first book is memoir, I have recently found myself drawn to short fiction, flash nonfiction, and poetry. I am currently co-poet laureate of Altadena, CA (2022-2024), along with the talented Peter Harris. I had a chapbook of poetry, What Is Left, written during the early months of the pandemic, published by dancing girl press. https://carlasameth.com/what-is-left/. My first full-length collection of poetry, Secondary Inspections, is coming out in November 2023 from Nymeria Publishing.

Over the years, I kept looking for books that reflected families and experiences like ours: queer, blended, unblended, single parent, multiracial, Black, Jewish, whose kids struggled with drugs and a mother who had experienced multiple miscarriages. I knew we weren’t a “Leave it to Beaver” family or a Norman Rockwell painting. So I wrote a book I would have wanted to read. I’ve been happy to hear that strangers (and people I know) have felt less alone and a greater sense of connection from reading my memoir. When I’ve done radio interviews with stations across the country, I’ve been surprised to hear that hosts and guests, even in the Bible Belt, were able to relate in some way. I wasn’t sure how people of different genders and ages, young adults or older people would feel about the book, but I was told it was a page-turner for a variety of people 🙂 .

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Write, write, write! Write as if no one is reading your work and edit as if everyone is. Find a mentor and a mentee. Judge your progress against yourself instead of comparing yourself to others. Keep writing, even when it is difficult or you feel like no one is listening. Go for what you really want; I did this when it came to being a writer and becoming a mother. It was never easy and rarely boring. Remember, it’s never too late to start (until you’re dead).

Contact Info:

• Website: https://carlasameth.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlasameth/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carla.sameth/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlasameth/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/carlasameth?lang=en

Image Credits
Alfred Haymond Hilary Jones Gabriel Johnson Milo Sameth Credits are listed on jpegs