Felicia Sullivan: How has being a mentor and instructor through Media Bistro enhanced your own projects or made an impact on your writing/personal persuits?

All those warming-the-heart-cockles assertions that teachers always say about how it's an honor and a daily inspiration to do their work? Corny, but true.

Bossing anybody around with a red pen took some getting used to. Having heard "those who can't do, teach" too many times, I was superstitious that teaching would jinx my writing career. Now that I'm 32, I still sometimes squirm in my glass house, but then I think of the out-of-shape diving coach. I saw him when I was watching the summer Olympics a while back and was transfixed by this diver, a wee nimble water nymph, achieving all these medal-winning feats. Her coach clearly was a brilliant trainer, even though he was so overweight, doing a somersault on land would have been a death wish for him. So, while I keep limber by writing as much as I can, I now have no problem telling my students that if they ever read a piece of mine that they think falls shy of my advocated principles, to do as I say, not as I do. At this point, I know I can coach the best out of others--even if their writing is more inventive than mine.

One of the biggest bonuses of being a writing teacher has been the immediate gratification of helping a student. Knowing that my students are whip-smart, tough New Yorkers keeps me sharp--and makes me cherish any praise I get from them even more. Writing freelance is a rush, but it's lonely. Even when you've landed a big coup, it's ego-disheartening that so few people notice, much less tell you. So, I find that the human interaction and continuing relationships of the classroom are the perfect compliments to one-sided reporting interviews and the solitude of writing. And being happier on the job has made me a happier and more productive person in all areas of my life.

Once I interviewed a student who had founded a peer tutoring program at his medical school who said, "you don't REALLY learn something until you have to teach it to someone else." For myself, I feel I finally have taken to heart all those writing principles that I THOUGHT I was applying, but realize I wasn't until I had wrestled with them in order to explain them to others. My own biggest breakthroughs have been in self-editing--particularly in terms of structure and delivering the "so what" factor.

Teaching has also helped me clean up my ideas so that they actually make it onto the printed page as I intended. The common freelancer gripe is that editors constantly "dumb down" their articles. I can now see how writers are sloppy in their submissions, thereby making themselves vulnerable to the last-minute oversimplified rewrites. To improve the chances that their voice and copy will be left in tact, I urge my journalism students to "write defensively," as in the advice we all get in driver's ed to "drive defensively." By that I mean if you know the laws and observe them, you keep yourself out of harm's way. In the journalism arena, that means actually putting in the time to study the "laws" of the publication and section you're writing for and to self-edit rigorously for that venue so that the editor "cops" won't "write you up" and make trouble for you.

Ambitious writers are naturally anti-authoritarian and hate to follow instructions, but until they find the humility to deliver what is expected of them and express themselves with clear, structured logic, they will be frustrated. Even avant-garde fiction writers must make their work adhere to a logic; it can be one of their own devising, but it must be consistent and comprehensible to others. For the first time last year I enjoyed the satisfaction of having a national glossy run a long feature I'd written exactly as I submitted it. That wouldn't have happened before I had led workshops.

My students are always asking what I'm working on. In a good way, that keeps the pressure on to produce rather than suffer the embarrassment of having nothing to say.

Felicia Sullivan: Please share some details on your monthly variety show, Beyond Words: Stories on Stage. What can attendees expect? How did the idea evolve? Where do you plan to take this in the future?

I founded "Beyond Words: Stories on Stage" 9 years ago, calling it "Nights with VCR"--as a riff on my initials. Soon I'll have to start lying about when I founded it because it makes me sound too old! The show is dedicated to solo story-telling in all its forms--from dramatic monologue to memoir to short story to humor to songwriting. Sometimes I like to throw in some unexpected curve-balls--like an amazing harmonica player I picked up on the subway or an extraordinary mime. I'm most pleased about the time Mo Willems, an Emmy-award winning writer for Sesame Street and prolific animator, rode his motorcycle off the stage. I like showcasing solo performers because it's the ultimate creative challenge: to be riveting relying on innate charisma and imagination alone without the crutch of lighting, sound effects or costuming. Plus, working with with "minimalist" spoken word and singer/songwriter acts makes the production end a helluva lot easier.

The idea behind the show is to allow people to congregate and enjoy being entertained by the unpredictable. Initially, I founded it because I was living in a place where I couldn't throw big parties, which I adore, so this was a way to rally all my favorite creative friends and make some magic. By now it's evolved into a professional entity and while I remain committed to finding new writers and I often solicit material from "names" with whom I have no personal connection. But the spirit remains the same: intimate setting and high-quality material. While I always want it to be funny and to be smart, I don't want this to be a comedy hour nor do I want it to be a black-turtleneck scene. I always have a range of genres and moods, which makes the show distinct from other downtown variety shows.

My big ambitions are to have an anthology released next year to coincide with my 10th anniversary season and to get this show a regular slot on the radio.

Felicia Sullivan: What are some of your projects for the upcoming year? Personal and professional?

My whole personal and professional life have essentially comingled into one state of being, but since I'm lucky enough to love everything I'm doing, it's not as grim as that sounds. Admittedly, it can be stressful when I'm rushing through a great book because of a deadline. Or when I'm too tired after being "on" for a class to greet my speculative pet projects with smaller price tag potential with as much energy as they need.

A big personal goal that would also help me professionally would be to learn more patience and eschew multitasking. To have more faith that doing one thing at a time really well is the saner and ultimately more efficient approach. To be more in the moment and get the most out of everything I do.

Professionally, I would like to sell one of my book ideas. One would be a journalism how-to book, one would be a themed series of profiles. There's also the Beyond Words anthology I mentioned already. I am also contributing pen-and-ink drawings to a cookbook and would like to contribute illustrations to all my future books.

Felicia Sullivan: Who are some of your professional influences and what are key ideas that you desire to evoke upon students that are influenced by you?

I've been raised by books. My favorite authors have become this unwieldy extended family that has taken over my apartment, demanding that I install many bookshelves to accommodate them.

Over the years, I've had also had amazing English/Writing teachers at Brearley, my elementary school and high school, the University of Virginia and at The Writer's Studio in NYC. I name names only to give these wonderful institutions the credit they're due. Classics such as Julia Cameron's "The Artist's Way," Betty Edwards, "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain;" Hannah Hinchman's "A Life in Hand: Creating the Illuminated Journal" remain the inspirational wellsprings I reread when I feel burnt out. My taste has always been eclectic and I enjoy everything from children's books to cookbooks to Latin American magic realist fiction to memoir to artist monographs.

Before my recent move, I had to cull my books. Since in high school and college I worked in libraries and bookstores, I'm laughably precise about how I order my library, but I decided to mess up my rigid category system for a "favorites" shelf. I surprised myself with the realization that I'm less traditionally "intellectual" than I had thought. I even caught myself dishonestly putting some "tough" classics there, just because my inner English-major-snob was pushing me to. But the truth is, that if I could only save 20 books in a fire, I wouldn't be panicking about making sure I got my Herman Melville or architectural critical theory. I'd far rather take Eloise than James Joyce. I'm a passionate words woman, but there are some visual books are in my top 20, too, because communicating visually and verbally has always interested me enormously.

I'm drawn to distinctive voices whom I consider smart, wise and accessible. Profound without pretension. I like authors who break molds and are surprising in ways that I find instructional and with whom I have a personal connection to. Many of them are living authors I have met, interviewed or known personally which makes their work especially resonant for me. Some samplings from my personal pantheon of heros include:

In the non-fiction essay category: Anne Lamotte, especially "Traveling Mercies;" for her easy acknowledgement of spiritual crises that occur in every day life with such humorous humanity. Anne Fadiman's "Ex Libris" is so delightful a collection of essays about her intimate relationships with books that are erudite while being written with a wink.

Memoir: Frank McCourt's "Angela's Ashes" was a remarkable achievement of emotional distance from his material succeeding in making the reader emotionally involved. Anatole Broyard's brilliantly imperfect and unfinished "Kafka was the Rage" which has some of the most remarkably compelling metaphors I've ever read. Amy Fusselman, "The Pharmacist's Mate" which is a prose-poetic interweaving of her diary with that of her father's at the same age.

Fiction: Lucia Nevai's "Normal" is a collection of breathtakingly funny and poignant short stories. Jonathan Franzen's "Corrections" taught me how to be a better reporter because he clearly did so much research on all the different worlds he was portraying from celebrity chefdom to senior citizen cruises and used that information to illuminate his characters. Doug Coupland's "Life After God" I find his most whimsical and inquisitive book, plus he illustrated each short story with his own drawings.

Visual books: Elisha Cooper's sketch book of a "A Year in New York" showed me how to look at my home town with fresh eyes. Milton Glaser's "Art is Work" monograph dazzled with his confident creations in so many mediums from ad campaigns to colored pencil techniques to theme park design. Mark Hampton's "The Art of Friendship," a collection of his watercolor cards he created for friends and family represented so much whimsical generosity, they choke you up. Mollie Katzen's "The Moosewood Cookbook" because of her whimsical illustrations and for showing how vegetarian cooking can be inventive, not beige. Kay Thompson & illustrator Hilary Knight "Eloise" for creating a devilishly delicious persona and the illustrations to match. Istvan Banyai's "Zoom," an incredible wordless children's book that with each turn of the page zooms into a magnification of part of the image on the previous spread.

Felicia Sullivan: What are the key ideas that you wish to impart to your students?

I, like most writers, write largely to get attention. Fine. However, a good writer has to have the attitude that they need to EARN that attention rather than that they are ENTITLED to that attention. Ok, it's a cheap trick, but I'll resort a SEX analogy here. Good writing is learning how to seduce, court and bed the reader rather than indulging in literary masturbation. Masturbation on the page can be very constructive for one's development as a writer, but should be considered a practice that remains in your journal under your pillow back in your bedroom, not for public viewing--just like the real act. Go ahead, call me old-fashioned, Iım not going to budge on that. Inappropriate disclosure or lack of energy in writing is as unappealing as a self-absorbed, lazy lover: it's not generous, it's not illuminating, and therefore not worth the reader's time.

Good reporting and vivid descriptions are essential skills, but can be reactive and shallow if not put in the service of making a compelling story, that touches on bigger themes. Good writing is as creatively demanding and rewarding as a spectacular love affair. Actually focusing on your subject with enough scrutiny to discover something new, and being snazzy in your delivery, THAT's the higher level I want my students and myself to always aspire to. In the same way, the best lovers are adept at coming up with the most wonderful gifts that are specific to them and specifically touching to you. Shakespeare's plays are unique and yet individuals the world over have felt personally moved by them because they are so original and well-crafted.

Risking beating this metaphor to death, I also believe that the workshop setting itself is important to the developing writer for the same reason why a person who prefers to masturbate can never be a great lover. The workshop setting forces the writer to get out of the security of their cozy beds, to be brave and get to know--and risk rejection by--the audience they're trying to seduce with their prose.

Other key ideas:

Thoughtfulness: Positive attention in writing has the power to transform the most seemingly insignificant idea into something meaningful.

Critiquing: Constructive praise and constructive criticism should be given as if you are helping the writer achieve what s/he wants to achieve in the piece, not what YOU want for the piece.

Importance of observation: Intense scrutiny actually brings revelation and mystery into the every day. That existence is perpetually inspiring if lived intensely. That we are all snorkeling through daily routines that are as fascinating as the most technicolored coral reefs, if we only choose to SEE energetically.

Synthesis: One's personal philosophies should be expressed through one's work.

Economy of effort: Being mentally flexible enough to see how projects can cross-pollinate and inform another.

To live life urgently: Have a joyful awareness of your mortality and use it to prioritize accordingly. Don't waste your time on things you don't care about, you never know how long you have on planet earth to realize your dreams.

Felicia Sullivan: The line between journalism and creative non fiction constantly dovetails into one another. Do you feel that they are two separate genres of writing and should be treated as such or do you feel that journalistic pieces can certainly use a creative touch?

All good writing must shimmer with creativity, so yes, that means journalism too. The best journalists, even beat reporters doing "just-the-facts" stories, are creative about tracking down a story via unconventional methods, conducting insightful interviews, solving mysteries great and small. So, even if their required form is the traditional inverted pyramid, that doesn't mean that the content can't be explosive.

Here I can't resist another rant. Too many people have hang-ups about the word "creativity." In my book, creativity doesn't mean fancy curlicues and neon arrows. Simple expression that reveals a great truth can be sufficient to enthrall. Nike's "Just Do It" campaign still packs a punch is because it invites multiple interpretations and taps into a universal human truth about procrastination: we all tend to postpone our joy--and isn't that dumb!?!

As for journalism pieces, I still love rereading Tom Wolfe's non-fiction works from the early '60s, though they are firmly grounded in specific times and places. These books are so much fun, the writing sounds fresh today. Plus Wolfe has a real flair for picking quirky subjects that explore aspects of the human condition that never change, no matter what the brand labels are.

That all being said, I think that journalism and creative non-fiction are different genres and should be respected as such. Though I think that objectivity is a pose, I still don't want tons of opinion clouding my view in above-the-fold, front-page New York Times stories.

Felicia Sullivan: How has Media Bistro and your involvement with the site and its projects aided in your career.

Mediabistro.com has given me many opportunities to meet more fascinating people. As an advertising/marketing tool, it's unparalleled for the publishing industry and because it's all word-of-mouth marketing, it's an incredibly devoted community, which, though 80,000 strong, feels refreshingly personal. After our events, many busy professionals write us wonderful emails--raves and constructive criticism. Plus, curating events like THINK{drinks} [every month I invite a panel of big-wigs in various niches of the media industry to huddle on a provocative topic], allows me the excuse to interact with the most outstanding people in the business which is a big treat, and professionally advantageous.

Working with Laurel Touby, mediabistro.com's CEO, has been an enormously rewarding experience. She's a high-energy, creative, open-minded boss whose feedback is never negative, and always contributes to making my projects better. After years of flying solo, it's great to have an independent fiefdom [I'm Director of LEARN Programming] with the backup brain support of a mentoring boss and fun and smart co-workers. Again, I realize this sounds suspiciously brown-nosey, but right now, from where I sit, I'm feeling lucky.

Felicia Sullivan: Your time to ramble on...

Since I've rambled enough, I'll pass on the tempting bait. But the final thing I'll say is: people who are bored need their heads examined.

a bit about victoria...

Victoria C. Rowan has kept a journal since she was seven, worked for various publications since elementary school and has worked professionally in magazine/book publishing since 1991. Her cultural journalism and essays have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, New York, ARTNews, MODE, Time Out New York, Homestyle, Financial Times Magazine and many websites. Rowan's commentaries have aired on NPRıs "Morning Edition" and Northeast Public Radio. Her illustrations have appeared in New Age Journal and Citysearch.com. She is now working on illustrations for a cookbook. In 1994, she started her monthly literary variety show, "Beyond Words: Stories on Stage," which continues to draw standing-room-only crowds. After studying with The Writer's Studio for over three years, Rowan founded a weekly writing workshop and schmooze network for professional writers that's been helping members generate commercially lucrative work ever since. Since 2001, she has been Director of LEARN Programming for mediabistro.com, where she also curates their THINK{drinks} series of panel discussions.