Chloe N. Clark (she/her/hers) is the author of Collective Gravities, Escaping the Body, Patterns of Orbit and more. Her next collection, Every Galaxy a Circle, is forthcoming from JackLeg Press. She is a founding co-EIC of Cotton Xenomorph.
Author Links:
Website: chloenclark.com
Bluesky: @pintsncupcakes.bsky.social
Your new collection Every Galaxy A Circle is out now: can you tell us how this collection came about, and how these stories developed?
These stories were written over an almost 20 year period (which is very sad to type out. How old does this make me?). When I was building this collection, I was selecting stories of mine that felt like they were in conversation with each other. Each story’s development was different. One story, for example, took years to write and revise while another is one I wrote in one sitting and then edited fairly quickly to a place that I felt was where it was supposed to be.
How did you decide to order the collection – how did you choose the first story, the middle stories, the last story? What made them feel like they should be in these positions in the book?
For me, ordering a collection (whether stories or poems) is one of the most intricate aspects of writing. I want a collection to read as a whole work–in the sense that it should have the movement of a longer narrative, even when the stories themselves are individual pieces. I always knew the first story of the collection, and built it from there. Every Galaxy a Circle should feel very much like you’re walking within memory itself, with stories connecting back to others or foreshadowing themes in ones that come later.
How do your personal values and philosophies play into the collection, and how did you develop these philosophies and values?
I think in anything I write, it starts with the dearest personal value/philosophy I have which is that we have to be kind. To others and to ourselves. This is a collection of stories about the weight of memories and how we construct our lives in relation to those who surround us.
I can’t really say how I’ve developed these values in any real or interesting way. I think being someone who values kindness is a value instilled by my parents and reinforced by living in the world. It’s so easy to be a jerk, and it’s often much harder to choose to be kind. But that work and choice is where living is actually done.
What is it about Sci-Fi specifically that enables you to explore the themes of the collection, particularly the themes of memory (collective and individual), and the mutual bonds of human relationships/what we owe to one another?
I think we live in very Sci-Fi and speculative worlds in many ways because most of us are already living in our heads (whether that’s hopes or dreams or whatever), anyway.
So, to me it’s easy to take the reality of life and just heighten it a little. Like, many of us probably have memories we return to over and over, but what would we do if we could physically time travel to our most perfect memory rather than just visit it in our head? Would the memory live up to our expectations? What if it didn’t?
Good sci-fi, for me, is always based around the characters more than the plot. Ideally, it should work even if that Sci-Fi concept is removed. If the story about time travel was just about someone stuck in their own memories it would have a lot of the same narrative drive. And because Sci-Fi is based around the characters, it’s the perfect venue to think about human relationships and what we owe to those around us.
Would readers find these themes explored in more of your work – and if they have a book hangover from this collection, where would you direct them next?
I’m definitely obsessed in general with memory and what it means to be human. If you liked Every Galaxy a Circle because of the way it involves the fragility of being human then I’d direct you to my speculative horror poetry collection Escaping the Body. If you enjoyed Every Galaxy a Circle because of the near future concepts, then either of my previous fiction collections, Collective Gravities or Patterns of Orbit, might meet your fancy. And, if you’d like something that has the same sort of sad nostalgia as some of my stories but with may more heart and humor, then pick up Amber Sparks Happy People Don’t Live Here!
Can you share your favourite piece/s of feedback/reviews from this collection so far?
I was honored to get some incredible blurbs from authors who I deeply admire. Chrsitopher Barzak said I was “a master of blending the everyday with the strange.” Erika Swyler said the book’s stories “explore the depths and outer edges of what it means to be human.” And Anya Johanna DeNiro said it “feels like a cabinet of wonders.” Could anyone ask for more lovely blurbs from more lovely writers than these??
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