Member Spotlight: Tina Ray

by Adrienne Koch

Tina Ray lives with her husband on Beacon Hill, overlooking downtown Seattle. She claimed to be tired the night she was interviewed, but was vibrant and overflowing with creative energy. We sat in her front room, which is decorated with her husband's art. I scribbled furiously as she answered my questions with articulate grace.

What is selling out?

Having a dream, but then compromising or perverting that dream for personal gain, whether it be money or fame or any other number of reasons...the conscious subversion or disregard of your original ideals.

Who does it and why?

I don't really know what reasons people have for selling out. I believe people who do something—write something—that they know is pandering—people who are willing to exchange their core values for personal gain are sell-outs.

Does one have to sell out to have a bestseller?

No! I believe art is something that is accessible, not dense, unreadable, or incomprehensible. You don't have to pander to the least common denominator to create. Art enriches people's lives and makes them think about issues or a point of view they may not have considered before.

What are the best bestsellers (or non-bestsellers) you've come across lately?

As far as bestsellers go, Red Azalea by Anchee Minn is well-written and informative. Also, The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson. High Fidelity by Nick Hornby. As far as non-bestsellers, I would recommend Diary: A Novel by Chuck Palahniuk, Mailman: A Novel by J. Robert Lennon, and Erasure by Percival Everett. Erasure deals directly with the topic of selling out.

Do you hope to have a bestseller someday?

My real dream is to write screenplays. I would like to write the literary equivalent of American Beauty.

What do/did you write?

I worked as a reporter for a law magazine after I graduated from college with a communications degree. I'm a project manager for a construction consulting firm. I write large, detailed reports on construction defects and financial loss. Forensic consulting entails assembling a complex amount of information and making it simple and readable. It involves pulling a lot of pieces together. It's similar to writing and researching articles like I did after college. I work for a great company. It's tiring and stressful at times, but I love my job. I love my life and can't complain. My husband and I have no kids, so we have a lot of freedom to experience a variety of things.

When you were little, what did you want to be?

A painter. I read when I was three or four, so books were a large part of my life from a young age. I'd write my own newspaper—it was a way to express myself and vie for attention from family members. I had a large family and it was a great way to get airtime.

What or who inspires you to write?

I'm inspired when I read something that changes my perspective on the world. For example, when I read great poetry. When I drive I listen to CDs of modern poets reading their own work, which never fails to inspire me.

Who are your heroes?

My literary hero is Simone de Beauvoir, who was more than Sartre's companion; she was his philosophical equal, as well as a truly great novelist. My favorite books by de Beauvoir are The Mandarins and She Came to Stay. Another hero is Martha Graham, who created a completely original art form like Picasso. Other people I admire are social workers and teachers—people who choose careers they know aren't lucrative, and are the glue that holds this country together. Another personal hero is Seymour M. Hersh, a writer at the New Yorker who is what a great reporter should be. Hersh reports on difficult subjects and informs people without distorting the truth.

What is the state of artists these days? How has the process of creating changed recently?

I feel there's no place for artists to go anymore; everything is so expensive these days. Artists have the task of creating and making a living at the same time. It's difficult to be inspired to create after a 10-hour work day. They can't escape to Paris and live inexpensively, like Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and Stein.

Any words for Writergrrls?

Keep writing! I love this community of women. Reading the e-mail messages that come through the list is fabulous. It makes me feel connected to a larger community of artists and women.

Adrienne Koch looks forward to the birth of this grrl's screenplays. Tina Ray can be reached at: tinatobacco@hotmail.com.