Gretchen Cherington
Gretchen Cherington’s first view of powerful men was informed at the feet of her father, Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Richard Eberhart, and his eclectic and fascinating writer friends, from Robert Frost to Allen Ginsberg to James Dickey. As an executive management consultant, she figured out what made powerful men tick by working alongside nearly three hundred of them in their corner suites during her 35 year career. Her first memoir, Poetic License, has won multiple awards; her writing has appeared in Crack the Spine, Bloodroot Literary Magazine, Women Writers/Women’s Books, MS. Girl, Yankee and more; and she was nominated for a Pushcart Prize for her essay “Maine Roustabout” in 2012. Gretchen and her husband split their time between Portland, ME, and a saltwater cottage on Penobscot Bay.
Facebook: @gretchencheringtonauthor
Instagram: @gretchencheringtonauthor
Twitter: @ge_cherington
Is your go to comfort food sweet or savory? Is it something you make yourself? Does food inspire you to write?
I wish I could say it was one or the other! Sadly, I tend toward both! Usually in quick succession. Now that you’ve asked, I think I use sweets more in the morning writing hours and savories more in the late afternoon writing hours. I don’t think food inspires me so much as it fuels me, especially if I’m in a rut or exploring something new. If my husband’s made something yummy and sweet, like brownies, or savory, like his amazing sourdough bread, I’ll eat it but M&Ms and chips will do. Anyone out there with advice for going cold turkey?
Have you ever experienced Imposter Syndrome?
Absolutely. Both in my career as an organizational development consultant (I was often the only woman and sometimes the youngest in the room) and as an author. The first book is a big test—how will it land; will it sell; what will people say; can I speak coherently to interviewers? But, like anything any of us does do a lot, that feeling fades. I’m feeling much less of that with my second book. That’s one really nice thing about publishing again, especially fairly quickly.
Not all books are for all readers…when you start a book and you just don’t like it, how long do you read until you bail?
Great question. For half my life I felt such genuine guilt when I gave up on a book. Now, I know my time is limited and there are so many great books! I’ll give nearly any book its first 40 pages to see if I care about its character(s)—even with a “great” book, if I don’t care about its character(s), I put it down, with mostly no judgements on the book or me. If I don’t, I’ll put it down and then take it to our little free library down the street. If it’s a book well recommended by friends or authors I trust, I might stay with it through a third before I say no. So much about a book is about the mood we’re in, the timing of it, the circumstances in our life at the moment, even the weather. My greatest pleasure is the moment I’ve just finished a great one and I’m about to pick up a new one. I usually take 3-5 off my TBR shelf, read the cover, the first page, thumb through it for its feel; then land on the one I’m willing to devote the next week to. Really pure heaven, getting to choose!
Is there another profession you would like to try?
I would have loved to be a jazz musician. I envy the individual skill that professional musicians have and in jazz, we get to see that individual shine within the collaborative whole. Music has such power to heal and engage—not unlike good books, just a different form of creativity and art. I was too intimated to try out for music school in college, but I love the way it can make us feel.
Do you have another artistic outlet in addition to your writing? Do you sew? Paint? Draw? Knit? Dance?
I fell in love with my husband on a dance floor, so that’s certainly one! Probably the outlet I feel is most like writing is gardening and it’s another artistic outlet for me. I plant a seed or plant and watch it grow. I prune out things that don’t add to the feel of a garden’s whole. I stand back and admire. And I can do it outdoors where I want to be, often with beautiful views, birds, grandkids, and friends stopping by.
