Interview with Nancy Machlis Rechtman

1. In your poem, you speak of finding “pockets of peace” in the middle of a torrential storm. The turmoils of humanity’s present era haunt us—how does nourishing your creativity help you to escape or transcend them?

We are living in such tumultuous times. The chaos is unsustainable, and we need those pockets of peace so that we can breathe. I have always turned to writing in difficult times, but not necessarily as an escape from what is happening in the world, but more of a way to cope. If I am constantly living inside the chaos, I lose my focus and my sanity. Expressing my fears, distress, anger, hope – and yes, there is hope – helps me to concentrate on not only what’s wrong in the world but in a sense, I can create my own reality when I write which gives me the illusion of having some kind of control. Plus, writing helps bring awareness to what small part we can all play in helping each other through the storm and effecting change.

2. It is said that most humans are forgotten after three generations. What would you wish for people to remember about you the longest?

Wow, that’s a wake-up call, isn’t it? I have frequently thought about that reality though. I know very little about my great-grandparents. My maternal grandmother lived to the age of 100, and I was so fortunate to have her in my life for so long that my children remember her as well. Generational connections are so important in reminding us of who shaped us. But I continue to wonder who will remember me or know of me after I pass. I am aware that I have a constant drive to leave a piece of myself in the world for that reason and my vessel is my writing. I hope the main things people will remember about me are that I’ve tried to do as much good as possible in the world, I always do my best to show kindness towards people and animals, and I’ve used my voice to stand up against injustice whenever I can.

3. If you were a ghost, where would you linger or wander? Why?

My response is dependent on whether I could have an influence on events or simply linger and wander.

If I could have an influence on events, I would choose to be in places of power where I could affect major decisions for the best throughout the world and also affect people’s hearts and minds. Kind of like Scrooge and the three ghosts who helped change his outlook on life.



Nancy Machlis Rechtman has had poetry and short stories published in Your Daily Poem, Writing In A Woman’s Voice, Impspired, miniMAG, Discretionary Love, Young Ravens, and more. Nancy has had poetry, essays, and plays published in various anthologies. She wrote freelance Lifestyle stories for a local newspaper, and she was the copy editor for another paper. She writes a blog called Inanities at https://nancywriteon.wordpress.com.