The Writing University conducts is a series of interviews with writers while they are in Iowa City participating in the International Writing Program's fall residency. We sit down with authors to ask about their work, their process and their descriptions of home.
Today we are speaking with Bayasgalan BATSUURI Баясгалан Батсуурийн, a poet and translator from Mongolia.
1. Do you have a plan or project in mind for your time at the residency?
I am planning to work on my short story collection. It will be based on my own life experiences and memories mostly, a bit like an autobiography, but I will use a variety of creative methods to fictionalize them as much as possible. I hope Iowa will give me an opportunity to look back into my memories and life in Mongolia from outer perspectives. And, I think the inevitable nostalgia of living in a foreign environment for a while would be very helpful to write such kind of book.
2. What does your daily practice look like for your writing? Do you have a certain time when you write? Any specific routine?
I am a night owl, indeed. I am very creative from 9 P.M to 4 A.M. During the daytime, I connect with other people, read books and do researches for my works.